May 12, 2000

Scholarship to Sink Your Teeth Into

By NINA WILLDORF

The scholarly agenda and gustatory menu converged last month at an academic conference on animals, as participants' dining options became food for thought.

The conference, "Representing Animals," held at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, centered on how historical and cultural forces have shaped our understanding of animals, and it drew about 100 historians, literary critics, and animal-rights activists.

But even before the first person arrived, food became an issue of