CINCINNATI – Move over, Miss Piggy. Step aside, Porky. It’s time to share the swine spotlight with real pigs.
The contributions of an animal that has been reviled, mocked and dined upon for centuries are being recognized in a Xavier University class highlighting American pig history.
“As I was doing research, I found pigs popping up in rather significant settings,” said assistant history professor Karim Tiro, who teaches the class.
Few realize that swine sailed to the New World with Columbus, sparked wars between colonists and American Indians and helped pioneer the assembly line, he said.
He covers those and other topics in “A History of the Pig in America with Especial Reference to the City of Cincinnati Otherwise Known as Porkopolis.”
The last part of the quirky title refers to a city that has had a love-hate relationship with pigs since its heyday as the center of the U.S. pork-packing industry.
Xavier students say they have learned how pigs and the development of the pork industry reflect broader trends in history.
Associated Press
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