Overview

"When Anne Innis saw her first giraffe at the age of three, she was smitten. She knew she had to learn more about this marvelous animal. Twenty years later, now a trained zoologist, she set off alone to Africa to study the behaviour of giraffe in the wild. Subsequently, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey would be driven by a similar devotion to study the behaviour of wild apes. In Smitten by Giraffe, the noted feminist reflects on her scientific work as well as the leading role she has played in numerous activist campaigns. On returning home to Canada, Anne married physicist Ian Dagg, had three children, published a number of scientific papers, taught at several local universities, and in 1967 earned her PhD in biology at the University of Waterloo. Dagg was continually frustrated in her efforts to secure a position as a tenured professor despite her many publications and exemplary teaching record. Finally she opted instead to pursue her research as an independent ""citizen scientist,"" while working part-time as an academic advisor. Dagg would spend many years fighting against the marginalization of women in the arts and sciences. Boldly documenting widespread sexism in universities while also discussing Dagg's involvement with important zoological topics such as homosexuality, infanticide, sociobiology, and taxonomy, Smitten by Giraffe offers an inside perspective on the workings of scientific research and debate, the history of academia, and the rise of second-wave feminism."

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9780773547995

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Reviews

""" A delightful book in many ways, Smitten by Giraffe provides some much-needed, even rare, insights into the challenges of being a field scientist, and especially a female one. Readers will find this book rewarding, entertaining, and informative."" Holly Dressel, co-author of Good News for a Change ""In this plainspoken memoir, Canadian zoologist chronicles her unusual life as a "" citizen scientist"" and the deeply ingrained sexism she experienced in academia. Rather than quietly giving up, Dagg chose to advocate for other women in academia and continue her own work as an independent scientist, doing research without academic affiliation or support. Dagg' s passionate engagement with the world shines through in all the experiences she recounts."" Publishers Weekly"

A delightful book in many ways, Smitten by Giraffe provides some much-needed, even rare, insights into the challenges of being a field scientist, and especially a female one. Readers will find this book rewarding, entertaining, and informative. Holly Dressel, co-author of Good News for a Change In this plainspoken memoir, Canadian zoologist chronicles her unusual life as a citizen scientist and the deeply ingrained sexism she experienced in academia. Rather than quietly giving up, Dagg chose to advocate for other women in academia and continue her own work as an independent scientist, doing research without academic affiliation or support. Dagg' s passionate engagement with the world shines through in all the experiences she recounts. Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Anne Innis Dagg is senior academic advisor in the Independent Studies Program at the University of Waterloo.

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