Cultural Entomology: Our Love-hate Relationship with Insects

Dear Colleagues,

Cultural entomology is a discipline that examines how humans perceive insects via cultural artifacts. It is a young science, stemming primarily from a seminal paper by Hogue (1987). Since then, works by entomologists and others have resulted in a fascinating variety of studies, traditionally examining the media of music, art, and literature.  However, innovative approaches to the subject include those on video games (Shelomi 2019), fireworks (Coelho 2018), and tattoos (Pearson 1996). These contributions have not only grown the discipline, they have allowed us to view the topic from independent perspectives. It is through this diversity that general trends emerge. Some patterns certainly have already been demonstrated with clarity; certain taxa are consistently viewed in a negative light (cockroaches), and others overwhelmingly positively (butterflies). While this particular trend is not surprising, others are beginning to emerge that are considerably more subtle. For example, chimeric species with a mix of human and insect anatomy occur in both ancient jade art and recent cover art (Coelho 2004). With this volume, we hope to expand the bounds of cultural entomology to further deepen our understanding of this interesting and important discipline.

Dr. Joseph R. Coelho
Collection Editor

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