Helen Cowie
Biographic Data
| ID | 136311 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helen Cowie |
| GIVEN NAMES | Helen |
| FAMILY NAME | Cowie |
| SIGNATURE | COWIE H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of York |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9504-4812 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 38 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 99 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 38 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The Tame and the Wild
Helen Cowie Interview
Interview between Nicholas Miller and Helen Cowie on the role of animals in exploration, published as part of a special issue on this topic in the journal Terrae Incognitae
Down pythons’ throats we thrust live goats’
In nineteenth-century Britain, captive snakes in menageries and zoological gardens were routinely fed with live prey – primarily rabbits, pigeons and guinea pigs. From the late 1860s, this practice began to generate opposition on animal welfare grounds, leading to a protracted debate over its necessity, visibility and morality. Focusing on the c. 1870–1914 period, when the snake-feeding controversy reached its zenith, this article charts changing…
The Perfection of Nature
Were there alpacas on Noah's ark? How did the dogs of Hispaniola lose their bark? Could the environment in which a horse was conceived affect its color or temperament? These are just some of the questions that preoccupied animal breeders, naturalists, and philosophers in early modern Spain and its empire, and just a few of the topics explored by Mackenzie Cooley in her thought-provoking new study.The Perfection of Nature comprises a range of care…
Victims of Fashion
The impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on the mental health and well‐being of children and young people
The COVID‐19 pandemic has had an enormous impact across the world. In this discussion paper, we examine the effect that lockdown has had on the mental health and well‐being of children and young people. We write from a UK perspective in the light of the international evidence. Many of the discussion points raised resonate globally. We discuss how these issues can be dealt with and set out potential solutions as we emerge from this global crisis
M ichael W orboys , J ulie -M arie S trange , and N eil P emberton . The Invention of the Modern Dog
When we think of a bulldog, we imagine a short, squat animal, with a rotund body, bandy legs, wrinkled face, flattened nose, drooping jowls, and lolling tongue. This is a long way, however, from the early nineteenth-century incarnation of the bulldog—a robust, lithe, and strong-jawed canine capable of wrestling bulls, bears, and even lions to the ground. How did the sporting bulldog of the Georgian era become the pampered pooch—and, many would ar…
Naturalists in the Field
Art for Animals
Molly A. Warsh. American Baroque
Delicate, beautiful, mysterious, and elusive, pearls have long fascinated human beings. Worn on necklaces and in earrings, sewn into garments and depicted in art, they symbolized romance and exoticism, functioning both as bodily adornment and as sources of wealth. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they were highly coveted items, gracing the bodies of queens, courtesans, merchants, and African slaves. American Baroque: Pearls and the Natu…
Exhibiting animals
This chapter explores the question of animal agency as it relates to zoos, menageries and circuses. It focuses on three case studies: the celebrity animal, the deviant animal and the performing animal. The chapter outlines some of the most important historical approaches to the study of zoos and menageries and situate these within the wider history of animals. It also explores the role of zoos as symbols of power and sources of knowledge, before …
The year of the animal in France
From the Andes to the Outback
This article examines attempts to naturalise the alpaca in the British Empire. In the nineteenth century Britain made concerted efforts to appropriate useful plants and animals and acclimatise them within its own colonies. The alpaca was a prime target for acclimatisers on account of its silken wool, which was manufactured into a range of luxury textiles. Its export was, however, banned by law in Peru and Bolivia, so the animals had to be smuggle…
Animal Companions
In 1712, Lady Isabella Wentworth wrote to her son Thomas to inform him of the death of her pet monkey, Pug. Pug had been her companion for seven years, and was a frequent topic of conversation in her correspondence. The monkey’s demise hit Lady Isabella hard, triggering an outpouring of emotion and grief for her ‘darling’ pet (p. 174). Pug is just one of many beloved animals in Ingrid Tague’s fascinating book. Today, pets are ubiquitous, providin…
Bullying at University
Students within the university sector are "digital natives." Technology is not "new" or "alien" to them, but rather it is an accepted and normalized part of everyday life. With this level of expertise and competence, we could assume that university students are relatively happy with their online relationships. However, in recent years, there has been a growing realization that, for some students at least, the online world is a very dangerous plac…
Ideologies & Narratives in Relation to ‘Fat’ Children as Bullies, ‘Easy Targets’ and Victims
In this study, we explore narratives in relation to ‘fatness’, drawing on focus group interviews with parents, early years practitioners, teachers and young people. The study is located in a larger study on bullying and resilience, with no specific focus on obesity or ‘fatness’. Analysis of the interview data highlighted a recurrent focus on ‘fatness’ within the participants’ narratives, by labelling and stigmatising the ‘fat kid’ and ‘bigger chi…
Philip Howell. At Home and Astray
Dogs were ubiquitous in Victorian London. Lapdogs nestled on ladies’ knees; fighting dogs exhibited their skills in the rat or bear pit; strays and working dogs roamed the streets, while family pets graced many a middle-class home. At Home and Astray: The Domestic Dog in Victorian Britain charts the development of mankind’s relationship with the dog in the Victorian city, painting a rich picture of canine life in the metropolis. Drawing on approa…
An attractive and improving place of resort’
This article focuses on the relationship between zoological collections, urban improvement and civic identity in early nineteenth-century Britain. While national zoological collections like London Zoo have been studied by scholars as important sites for research and education, gardens in the provinces have received less attention. The article examines several of these institutions, outlining the circumstances surrounding their foundation and cons…
Centering Animals in Latin American History
Animals have played a central role in Latin American history. They have been consumed as meat, hunted for their fur and fleeces, converted into luxury commodities, employed in religious rituals and medicine, cherished as domestic pets, and even married in mock religious ceremonies! From the llamas sacrificed to the sun by the Incas to the dogs and horses of the Spanish conquistadores, animals have shaped the cultural, social, and economic develop…
The Use of Participatory Methods in Researching the Experiences of Children and Young People / Upotreba participativnih metoda u istraživanju iskustava djece i mladih
Participatory research methods offer a very promising approach for gaining in-depth understanding of young people's lives. However, when adopting such approaches, researchers need to be aware of methodological and theoretical issues. The aim of this article is to present a discussion of ways in which participatory methods may be used as a research strategy when investigating young people's experiences and emotions. We explore the potential of the…
Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Introduction 1. The Lions of London 2. Zoo, Community and Civic Pride 3. Elephants in the High Street 4. Animals Wholesale and Retail 5. Seeing the Elephant 6. Cruelty and Compassion 7. Dangerous Frolicking 8. In the Lions' Den Conclusion
Birds of Empire, Birds of Nation
Birds of Empire, Birds of Nation adds to a growing literature on the history of science in Latin America. Focusing on the period from 1880 to 1960, Quintero Toro examines the trade in birds between Colombia and the United States and considers the wider implications of this exchange of specimens and knowledge. Colombia is home to an incredibly diverse population of birds, from the handsome toucans displayed on the book’s cover to the tiny hummingb…
Elephants, education and entertainment
Peer Support as an Intervention to Counteract School Bullying
In this article, we discuss a range of ways in which children and young people themselves can give adults insights into bullying and how to resolve it. The adoption of peer support within a school can create opportunities for children and young people to be proactive in challenging bullying when they observe it
Sloth bones and anteater tongues
This article explores the collection and display of natural history specimens in eighteenth-century Spain. Focusing primarily on the zoological collections in the Real Gabinete de Historia Natural, it examines the mechanisms through which naturalists in Madrid procured natural objects from across Spain's vast empire, which included both state-sponsored scientific expeditions and written decrees soliciting material and information from colonial su…
The effectiveness of peer support systems in challenging school bullying
Profiles of non-victims, escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims of school bullying
Background: Victims of school bullying are known to be at risk in peer relationships and to sometimes use ineffective coping strategies, but little previous research has examined differences among escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims.Aim: A follow-up design compared friendships, behavioural characteristics, victimisation experiences and coping strategies of pupils who had 2 years previously answered a questionnaire identifying them…
Enhancing children's responsibility to take action against bullying
This paper reports on the evaluation of a peer support model implemented in two Italian secondary middle schools as an anti‐bullying intervention. Specifically, the aims of the intervention were (1) to reduce bullying episodes through developing in bullies an awareness of their own and others' behaviour, (2) to enhance children's capacity to offer support to the victims of bullying, (3) to enhance responsibility and involvement on the part of bys…
Teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying
Background. Comparison of teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying is important for considering the implications for reports of its incidence in schools, for the study of developmental trends in children's and adolescents' perceptions of the phenomenon and for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions designed to combat bullying.Aims. To investigate the effects of gender, teacher/pupil status and, for pupils, bullied/non-bullied (target/…
Perceptions and experience of workplace bullying in five different working populations
Whilst aggression in the workplace has been systematically studied in recent years, research into workplace bullying per se still remains quite limited. In this article, we report the findings from an investigation into employees' perceptions of social and organizational work conditions and experiences of bullying at work. Six‐hundred‐seventy‐seven employees from five different working populations (managers, teachers, technicians, call centre ope…
The history of Atlantic science
Sloth bones and anteater tongues
This article explores the collection and display of natural history specimens in eighteenth-century Spain. Focusing primarily on the zoological collections in the Real Gabinete de Historia Natural, it examines the mechanisms through which naturalists in Madrid procured natural objects from across Spain's vast empire, which included both state-sponsored scientific expeditions and written decrees soliciting material and information from colonial su…
Taking Stock of Violence in U.K. Schools
This article documents the important issues of school violence and bullying in the United Kingdom. The authors provide examples of effective interventions for preventing violence and describe some methods, grounded in a restorative and emotional intelligence framework, that have been successfully adopted in U.K. schools. The authors conclude that if violence is to be addressed, a whole school approach embedded in the wider community is required
From the Andes to the Outback
This article examines attempts to naturalise the alpaca in the British Empire. In the nineteenth century Britain made concerted efforts to appropriate useful plants and animals and acclimatise them within its own colonies. The alpaca was a prime target for acclimatisers on account of its silken wool, which was manufactured into a range of luxury textiles. Its export was, however, banned by law in Peru and Bolivia, so the animals had to be smuggle…
Bullying at University
Students within the university sector are "digital natives." Technology is not "new" or "alien" to them, but rather it is an accepted and normalized part of everyday life. With this level of expertise and competence, we could assume that university students are relatively happy with their online relationships. However, in recent years, there has been a growing realization that, for some students at least, the online world is a very dangerous plac…
The effectiveness of peer support systems in challenging school bullying
Bystanding or standing by
The effect of peer support systems on users, peer supporters, the whole school, and teachers is discussed in light of an interview study on the experience of being a peer supporter and further analysis of the data collected in a survey on peer support from a range of perspectives. Overall, it is concluded that peer support has benefits for victims of bullying and for the school climate; the peer supporters also benefit from the experience. Howeve…
Definitions of Bullying
The study of school bullying has recently assumed an international dimension, but is faced with difficulties in finding terms in different languages to correspond to the English word bullying. To investigate the meanings given to various terms, a set of 25 stick–figure cartoons was devised, covering a range of social situations between peers. These cartoons were shown to samples of 8– and 14–year–old pupils (N= 1,245; n= 604 at 8 years, n= 641 at…
Perceptions and experience of workplace bullying in five different working populations
Whilst aggression in the workplace has been systematically studied in recent years, research into workplace bullying per se still remains quite limited. In this article, we report the findings from an investigation into employees' perceptions of social and organizational work conditions and experiences of bullying at work. Six‐hundred‐seventy‐seven employees from five different working populations (managers, teachers, technicians, call centre ope…
Enhancing children's responsibility to take action against bullying
This paper reports on the evaluation of a peer support model implemented in two Italian secondary middle schools as an anti‐bullying intervention. Specifically, the aims of the intervention were (1) to reduce bullying episodes through developing in bullies an awareness of their own and others' behaviour, (2) to enhance children's capacity to offer support to the victims of bullying, (3) to enhance responsibility and involvement on the part of bys…
Emotional Health and Well-Being
This work describes behaviours, both disruptive and secretive which indicate emotional distress. It looks at both the risk factors and the protective factors involved in emotional health and addresses the impact of issues such as bullying, social exclusion, loss and bereavement
Emotional Health and Well-Being
Profiles of non-victims, escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims of school bullying
Background: Victims of school bullying are known to be at risk in peer relationships and to sometimes use ineffective coping strategies, but little previous research has examined differences among escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims.Aim: A follow-up design compared friendships, behavioural characteristics, victimisation experiences and coping strategies of pupils who had 2 years previously answered a questionnaire identifying them…
Psychology and religion
A sceptical attitude towards religion remains dominant in many circles in mainstream psychology. For example, most theories of human development omit to mention spirituality at all. With some notable exceptions, many mainstream psychologists describe themselves as materialists with a belief that there is nothing beyond our bodies and our mental worlds, however meaningful they may be to us in the here and now. However, there is one domain of psych…
Teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying
Background. Comparison of teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying is important for considering the implications for reports of its incidence in schools, for the study of developmental trends in children's and adolescents' perceptions of the phenomenon and for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions designed to combat bullying.Aims. To investigate the effects of gender, teacher/pupil status and, for pupils, bullied/non-bullied (target/…
Taking Stock of Violence in U.K. Schools
This article documents the important issues of school violence and bullying in the United Kingdom. The authors provide examples of effective interventions for preventing violence and describe some methods, grounded in a restorative and emotional intelligence framework, that have been successfully adopted in U.K. schools. The authors conclude that if violence is to be addressed, a whole school approach embedded in the wider community is required
Peripheral vision
The history of Atlantic science
Peer Support as an Intervention to Counteract School Bullying
In this article, we discuss a range of ways in which children and young people themselves can give adults insights into bullying and how to resolve it. The adoption of peer support within a school can create opportunities for children and young people to be proactive in challenging bullying when they observe it
Sloth bones and anteater tongues
This article explores the collection and display of natural history specimens in eighteenth-century Spain. Focusing primarily on the zoological collections in the Real Gabinete de Historia Natural, it examines the mechanisms through which naturalists in Madrid procured natural objects from across Spain's vast empire, which included both state-sponsored scientific expeditions and written decrees soliciting material and information from colonial su…
Elephants, education and entertainment
The Use of Participatory Methods in Researching the Experiences of Children and Young People / Upotreba participativnih metoda u istraživanju iskustava djece i mladih
Participatory research methods offer a very promising approach for gaining in-depth understanding of young people's lives. However, when adopting such approaches, researchers need to be aware of methodological and theoretical issues. The aim of this article is to present a discussion of ways in which participatory methods may be used as a research strategy when investigating young people's experiences and emotions. We explore the potential of the…
Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Introduction 1. The Lions of London 2. Zoo, Community and Civic Pride 3. Elephants in the High Street 4. Animals Wholesale and Retail 5. Seeing the Elephant 6. Cruelty and Compassion 7. Dangerous Frolicking 8. In the Lions' Den Conclusion
Birds of Empire, Birds of Nation
Birds of Empire, Birds of Nation adds to a growing literature on the history of science in Latin America. Focusing on the period from 1880 to 1960, Quintero Toro examines the trade in birds between Colombia and the United States and considers the wider implications of this exchange of specimens and knowledge. Colombia is home to an incredibly diverse population of birds, from the handsome toucans displayed on the book’s cover to the tiny hummingb…
An attractive and improving place of resort’
This article focuses on the relationship between zoological collections, urban improvement and civic identity in early nineteenth-century Britain. While national zoological collections like London Zoo have been studied by scholars as important sites for research and education, gardens in the provinces have received less attention. The article examines several of these institutions, outlining the circumstances surrounding their foundation and cons…
Centering Animals in Latin American History
Animals have played a central role in Latin American history. They have been consumed as meat, hunted for their fur and fleeces, converted into luxury commodities, employed in religious rituals and medicine, cherished as domestic pets, and even married in mock religious ceremonies! From the llamas sacrificed to the sun by the Incas to the dogs and horses of the Spanish conquistadores, animals have shaped the cultural, social, and economic develop…
Ideologies & Narratives in Relation to ‘Fat’ Children as Bullies, ‘Easy Targets’ and Victims
In this study, we explore narratives in relation to ‘fatness’, drawing on focus group interviews with parents, early years practitioners, teachers and young people. The study is located in a larger study on bullying and resilience, with no specific focus on obesity or ‘fatness’. Analysis of the interview data highlighted a recurrent focus on ‘fatness’ within the participants’ narratives, by labelling and stigmatising the ‘fat kid’ and ‘bigger chi…
Philip Howell. At Home and Astray
Dogs were ubiquitous in Victorian London. Lapdogs nestled on ladies’ knees; fighting dogs exhibited their skills in the rat or bear pit; strays and working dogs roamed the streets, while family pets graced many a middle-class home. At Home and Astray: The Domestic Dog in Victorian Britain charts the development of mankind’s relationship with the dog in the Victorian city, painting a rich picture of canine life in the metropolis. Drawing on approa…
From the Andes to the Outback
This article examines attempts to naturalise the alpaca in the British Empire. In the nineteenth century Britain made concerted efforts to appropriate useful plants and animals and acclimatise them within its own colonies. The alpaca was a prime target for acclimatisers on account of its silken wool, which was manufactured into a range of luxury textiles. Its export was, however, banned by law in Peru and Bolivia, so the animals had to be smuggle…
Animal Companions
In 1712, Lady Isabella Wentworth wrote to her son Thomas to inform him of the death of her pet monkey, Pug. Pug had been her companion for seven years, and was a frequent topic of conversation in her correspondence. The monkey’s demise hit Lady Isabella hard, triggering an outpouring of emotion and grief for her ‘darling’ pet (p. 174). Pug is just one of many beloved animals in Ingrid Tague’s fascinating book. Today, pets are ubiquitous, providin…
Psychology (16 works) · Political science (15 works) · History (14 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Art (10 works) · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression (10 works) · History (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Geography (8 works)