Abstract

In Western cultures, the rabbit holds a double status: it is, at once, livestock and pet. Furthermore, manifold connotations and a rich and long-lasting iconography make this animal a powerful metonymy of the dynamics of the human-animal relation, grounded in incessant renegotiations.Looking specifically at the Italian cultural context, this chapter aims at exploring the diverse processes of semiotization of the rabbit, and the different visions of nature lying behind, which may at times take the form of a “war of the worlds” in which different ontologies come into conflict.Through a quick analysis of different texts, objects, practices and discourses, I shall underline how various “modes of existence” of this animal confirm the hypothesis of Descola, according to whom different “regimes” of nature can coexist in the same society.