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This book examines the ethics, politics and aesthetics of veganism in contemporary culture and thought. Traditionally a lifestyle located on the margins of western culture, veganism has now been propelled into the mainstream, and as agribusiness grows animal issues are inextricably linked to environmental impact as well as to existing ethical concerns.
This collection connects veganism to a range of topics including gender, sexuality, race, the law and popular culture. It explores how something as basic as one's food choices continue to impact on the cultural, political, and philosophical discourse of the modern day, and asks whether the normalization of veganism strengthens or detracts from the radical impetus of its politics. With a Foreword by Melanie Joy and Jens Tuidor, this book analyzes the mounting prevalence of veganism as it appears in different cultural shifts and asks how veganism might be rethought and re-practised in the twenty-first century.
List of contents
Foreword: Melanie Joy and Jens Tudier.- Introduction: Jodey Castricano and Rasmus R. Simonsen.- 1. ETHICS, POLITICS & PHILOSOPHY.- Veganisms: Robert C. Jones.- Speciesistic Veganism: An Anthropocentric Argument: A.G. Holdier.- Human rights are animal rights: The implications of ethical veganism for human rights: Jeanette Rowley.- Hegel, Eating: Schelling and the Carnivorous Virility of Philosophy: David L. Clark.- 2. AESTHETICS & REPRESENTATION.- Instrumental Intimacies: The Ethical Sounds of Matthew Herbert's One Pig: Michael Sloane.- The Compassion Manifesto: Julie Andreyev.- Lives of Their Own: Animal Death and Animal Death in J.M. Coetzee's Writings: Parag Kumar Deka.- The Vegan and the Sovereign: Joshua Schuster.- 3. FOOD, MEMORY, HISTORIES.- "Are Vegetarians Good Fighters?": World War I and the Rise of Meatless Patriotism: Adam Shprintzen.- Veganism and the Politics of Nostalgia: Jessica L.W. Carey.- Is the Moose Still My Brother if We Don't Eat Him?: Margaret Robinson.- 4. NEW MEDIA IS THE MESSAGE.- From Seitan Bourguignon to Tofu Blanquette: Popularising Veganism through French Food Blogs: Ophélie Véron.- Lisa Simpson and Darlene Conner: Television's Favorite Killjoys: Juawana Grant and Brittni MacKenzie-Dale.- The Carnivorous Mission of the Celebrity Chef: Franceso Buscemi.- "The Worst Offense here Is the Misrepresentation: Thug Kitchen and Contemporary Vegan Discourse: Alexis Priestley, Sarah Lingo, and Peter Royal.- What Color is Veganism?: On Vegan Racism and Whiteness: Jennifer Polish.
About the author
Jodey Castricano is Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Studies at The University of British Columbia, Canada. Her research areas include 19th century literature and culture, eco-cultures, critical animal studies and eco-criticism. She is the editor of Animal Subjects: An Ethical Reader in a Posthuman World (2008) and a contributing co-editor of Animal Subjects 2.0 (forthcoming 2016).
Rasmus R. Simonsen teaches Media Studies and Digital Communication at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, Denmark. His research interests cover American literature, queer theory and food studies, and his previous work includes “A Queer Vegan Manifesto” (Journal for Critical Animal Studies, 2012).
Summary
This book examines the ethics, politics and aesthetics of veganism in contemporary culture and thought. Traditionally a lifestyle located on the margins of western culture, veganism has now been propelled into the mainstream, and as agribusiness grows animal issues are inextricably linked to environmental impact as well as to existing ethical concerns.
This collection connects veganism to a range of topics including gender, sexuality, race, the law and popular culture. It explores how something as basic as one’s food choices continue to impact on the cultural, political, and philosophical discourse of the modern day, and asks whether the normalization of veganism strengthens or detracts from the radical impetus of its politics. With a Foreword by Melanie Joy and Jens Tuidor, this book analyzes the mounting prevalence of veganism as it appears in different cultural shifts and asks how veganism might be rethought and re-practised in the twenty-first century.
Additional text
“The strength of this collection lies within the essays that examine how veganism is currently becoming mainstreamed and/or attacked by the mainstream. … Critical Perspectives on Veganism is not meant to answer many questions. Instead, the editors succeed in their goal of presenting questions that need to be grappled with as veganism goes through a dynamic social and cultural transformation. … Perspectives provides the intellectual stimulation needed to bring veganism into the mainstream effectively.” (Nathan Poirier, Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Vol. 15 (5), 2018)
Report
"The strength of this collection lies within the essays that examine how veganism is currently becoming mainstreamed and/or attacked by the mainstream. ... Critical Perspectives on Veganism is not meant to answer many questions. Instead, the editors succeed in their goal of presenting questions that need to be grappled with as veganism goes through a dynamic social and cultural transformation. ... Perspectives provides the intellectual stimulation needed to bring veganism into the mainstream effectively." (Nathan Poirier, Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Vol. 15 (5), 2018)
