This volume brings together the contributions of a conference that took place on November 27th and 28th, 2014 at the University of Innsbruck. The twelve articles published here examine the phenomenon of cannibalism from various perspectives from antiquity to the present day. Geographically, it covers almost the entire world, not least thanks to the treatment of numerous explorers. With regard to the scientific disciplines present in the volume, the approaches range from the historical disciplines (Ancient Orient, Ancient History, Medieval Studies, Modern Times) to German studies, English studies, law, ethnology and theology to sociology. The focus of attention is the question of the construction of the image of the cannibal in inscriptions, travelogues, novels and films. Regardless of whether the cannibals described are assigned to the realm of reality or fiction, the cannibal or the cannibalistic society offers an ideal projection surface for criticizing one's own society or serves as the last step in the description of catastrophic conditions.