First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to everyone I met during the research for this book. They gave so much of their time, put me in contact with other people, showed me around their farms, shared their experiences of breastfeeding and helped in so many other ways. In order to protect their identity, I cannot name them here, but without them this book could not have been written.
I would also like to thank colleagues and students at the Department of Cultural Studies, and at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka. Whilst they were not directly involved in the writing of this book, the support they have offered has been of immeasurable help. I would like particularly to thank Odri Bradaschia, Sanja Puljar D’Alessio, Brigita Miloš, Kornelija Mrnjaus, Sanja Zubčić, and Jeremy Walton, as well as Luca Malatesti and Aleksandar Mijatović.
I am very grateful to Sanja Bojanić and the Fellows at the Centre for Advanced Studies – South East Europe, University of Rijeka, who gave me the opportunity to present this work in its earlier phases, and offered words of encouragement at every turn. I am also extremely grateful to Snježana Prijić-Samaržija for always finding the time to give a fresh perspective on things.
Furthermore, I would like to thank colleagues at the conferences and symposiums where I have presented this work, who have given some excellent suggestions and ideas. I would like here to particularly thank the British Animal Studies Network, and Erica Fudge, and also the anonymous reviewers, as well as Clif Flynn, for their incredibly constructive suggestions. I extend my sincere thanks to Andrew Hodges, Iva Pleše and Kristina Stojanović-Čehajić for their advice and friendship. Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Ivan, Thomas, and Pipo for their immense understanding and giving me the space and time to write, even during lockdown.