Vegan feminist theory is introduced to address the anthropocentric intersectional failure that typifies mainstream environmental justice efforts, arguing that the false divide erected between nature and civilization has historically abstracted freeliving Nonhuman Animals within larger conversations about ecosystems and species, undermining their individual rights.
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Grill Power: Feminism in Men’s Meat Market
Vegan feminism would argue that tweaking speciesist masculinized consumption to include women subverts anti-speciesism as well. It does nothing to challenge the fetishization of commodified bodies. The “pork” industry attempted to boost the sales of dead pigs, for instance, by launching a campaign to encourage women to get grilling. Although Mother Jones was quick to highlight the blatant sexism of the advertising materials in which women are belittled as “grill girls,” “ladies,” “hot mamas, “spicy girls,” and “gal pals,” nothing was said about the extreme violence experienced by the pigs who are objectified as “pork.”
Continue readingCollaborating Against Speciesism: The Oxford Group and Social Innovation
In The Oxford Group and the Emergence of Animal Rights, longtime Nonhuman Animal rights theorist Robert Garner and scholar-activist Yewande Okuleye bring substance to the hazy mythology surrounding the mid-20th century incarnation of Western Nonhuman Animal rights. Admirably, they do so before the knowledges and memories are lost to the ages, as the original members are well into their golden years with some having already passed.
Continue readingIrish Animal Activism (Animals in Irish Society, Episode 6)
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this live recording of forgotten Irish animal advocacy. Ireland lays claim to a fascinating history of human interactions with other animals that is both unique to the island and critical to larger international discourse. While it is true that Irish culture is historically tied to speciesism and its economy is especially dependent upon “meat” and dairy production, Ireland’s relationship with other animals is complex and sometimes forgiving.
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