Vegetarianism

Why it's easy being a vegetarian

by Erica Fudge

An Introduction to Ancient and Contemporary Defences of Vegetarianism

by Anne Marie Matarrese

Percy Shelley, Snacker Poet

by Tim Morton

Published in Moving Worlds 6.2 (2006), 22–29.

Shelley's vegetarian eating habits were an avant garde version of what is now taken for granted as grazing and snacking. Shelley's vegetarian eating habits were an avant garde version of what is now taken for granted as grazing and snacking.

Joseph Ritson, Percy Shelley and the Making of Romantic Vegetarianism

by Tim Morton

Published in Romanticism 12.1 (2006), 52–61.

Percy Shelley's copy of Joseph Ritson's groundbreaking book on vegetarianism reveals a lot about his politics and... more Percy Shelley's copy of Joseph Ritson's groundbreaking book on vegetarianism reveals a lot about his politics and philosophy.

Porcine Poetics: Shelley's Swellfoot the Tyrant

by Tim Morton

Published in Timothy Webb and Alan Weinberg, eds., The Unfamiliar Shelley (Ashgate, 2009), 279–295.

A very radical, bitingly satirical play of Shelley's plays with boundaries between the human and the nonhuman (and the... more A very radical, bitingly satirical play of Shelley's plays with boundaries between the human and the nonhuman (and the lack thereof).

"Vegetarian," "Vegan," and "Animal Welfare" encyclopedia entries in "Green Food" Environmental Guide.

by Carrie Packwood Freeman

ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES: Freeman, C. P. (2010). Encyclopedia entries for VEGETARIAN, VEGAN, and ANIMAL WELFARE. In P. Robbins, D. Mulvaney, & J. Golson (Eds). Green Food: An A-Z Guide, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Part of Sage’s Green Series of online reference publications.

An encyclopedia of green/sustainable food and agricultural practices An encyclopedia of green/sustainable food and agricultural practices

Meat’s Place on the Campaign Menu: How U.S. Environmental Discourse Negotiates Vegetarianism

by Carrie Packwood Freeman

JOURNAL ARTICLE:  Freeman, C. P. (2010). Meat’s Place on the Campaign Menu: How U.S. Environmental Discourse Negotiates Vegetarianism. Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 4(3), 255 - 276.

Given the impact of America's food choices, particularly animal-based foods, on life-sustaining systems, to what... more Given the impact of America's food choices, particularly animal-based foods, on life-sustaining systems, to what extent is the environmental movement making meat-based diets an issue? This research analyzes websites of 15 US environmental advocacy organizations to examine how they negotiate the question of animal versus plant-based diets and propose solutions for food producers and consumers. Environmental organizations proposed that industrial agriculture and commercial fishing/aquaculture severely limit destructive practices to more sustainably meet consumer demand for animal products. Environmental organizations offered consumers choices, including: (1) replacement of much industrial food with local, organic, and/or sustainable animal or plant foods, (2) reduction of animal products, and, to a lesser degree, (3) vegetarianism. To consistently promote justice for all animals, the author recommends environmental discourse more explicitly critique animal agriculture/fishing as a primary source of environmental problems, consider food needs not just preferences, and promote fundamental changes toward a plant-based, largely organic diet.

Framing Animal Rights In the" Go Veg" Campaigns of US Animal Rights Organizations

by Carrie Packwood Freeman

JOURNAL ARTICLE: Freeman, C. P. (2010). Framing Animal Rights in the “Go Veg” Campaigns of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations. Society & Animals, 18(2), 163-182.

How much do animal rights activists talk about animal rights when they attempt to persuade America's meat-lovers to... more How much do animal rights activists talk about animal rights when they attempt to persuade America's meat-lovers to stop eating nonhuman animals? This study serves as the basis for a unique evaluation and categorization of problems and solutions as framed by five major U.S. animal rights organizations in their vegan/food campaigns. The findings reveal that the organizations framed the problems as: cruelty and suffering; commodification; harm to humans and the environment; and needless killing. To solve problems largely blamed on factory farming, activists asked consumers to become “vegetarian” (meaning vegan) or to reduce animal product consumption, some requesting “humane” reforms. While certain messages supported animal rights, promoting veganism and respect for animals' subject status, many frames used animal welfareideology to achieve rights solutions, conservatively avoiding a direct challenge to the dominant human/animal dualism. In support of ideological authenticity, this paper recommends that vegan campaigns emphasize justice, respect, life, freedom, environmental responsibility, and a shared animality.

This Little Piggy Went to Press: The American News Media's Construction of Animals In Agriculture

by Carrie Packwood Freeman

JOURNAL ARTICLE: Freeman, C. P. (2009). This Little Piggy Went to Press: The American News Media's Construction of Animals in Agriculture. The Communication Review, 12(1), 78 -103.

This textual analysis examines the representations of farmed animals in national print and broadcast news discourse in... more This textual analysis examines the representations of farmed animals in national print and broadcast news discourse in over 100 stories published from 2000 to 2003. Findings show these American news media largely support the speciesist status quo by favoring elite viewpoints and failing to provide balance. Although exceptions are provided, news media often objectify nonhuman animals discursively through: 1) commodification, 2) failure to acknowledge their emotional perspectives, and 3) failure to describe them as inherently valuable individuals.

Struggling for Ideological Integrity In the Social Movement Framing Process: How US Animal Rights Organizations Frame Values and Ethical Ideology In Food Advocacy …

by Carrie Packwood Freeman

My dissertation from University of Oregon's Communication and Society doctoral program, 2008.

A portion of this was published in Society & Animals as: Freeman, C. P. (2010). Framing Animal Rights in the “Go Veg” Campaigns of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations. Society & Animals, 18(2), 163-182.

Social movements that fundamentally challenge the status quo struggle to connect theory and practice by framing... more Social movements that fundamentally challenge the status quo struggle to connect theory and practice by framing advocacy messages in ways that serve the utilitarian purpose of resonating with mainstream public values while also demonstrating deontological integrity in authentically reflecting their own radical ideology. This study examines the animal rights movement’s framing challenges in transforming discriminatory worldviews against nonhuman animals (NHAs) to create respect for them as inherently valuable subjects. U.S. animal rights organizations (AROs) increasingly focus on protecting animals exploited for food, and this dissertation examines frames used in such food advocacy campaigns of five national AROs: Compassion over Killing, Farm Animal Rights Movement, Farm Sanctuary, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and Vegan Outreach. Using textual analysis of ARO advocacy and interviews with ARO leaders, this study analyzes how and to what extent AROs do or could construct less speciesist frames that resonate with a largely speciesist American public.
Findings reveal AROs framed problems with agribusiness around farmed animal cruelty and commodification, human and environmental harm, and unnecessary killing. Solution frames suggested consumers eat a total or largely plant-based diet, and some proposed industry welfare reforms. To motivate audiences, AROs appealed to values, such as: compassion, sentience, moral consistency, desire to make a difference, choice, pleasurable and convenient food, belonging, life, concern for fellow human beings, honesty, American populism, naturalness, freedom, and American pride.
Strategically, AROs leaders applied both deontology and utilitarianism in choosing to prioritize NHA altruism rather than human self-interest, but most leaders favored utilitarianism in choosing to privilege animal welfare over animal rights for wider appeal. Overall, while some ARO messages supported animal rights, promoting veganism and respect for NHA subject status, many frames used animal welfare ideology to achieve animal rights solutions, conservatively avoiding a direct challenge to the dominant human/animal dualism.
Changes to framing strategy are prescribed in support of frame transformation, such as emphasizing injustice, respect, freedom, life, and a shared animality. This deontologically aligns animal rights theory with advocacy practice in a way that also strategically incorporates both environmental ethics and human rights and merges nature and culture.

The Plantation of Wrath

by Tim Morton

Published in Radicalism in British Literary Culture, 1650–1830, 64–85.

The history of vegetarianism from 1660 to 1830 reveals a continuity of politically radical engagements between humans... more The history of vegetarianism from 1660 to 1830 reveals a continuity of politically radical engagements between humans and nonhumans.

Vegetarianism

by Tim Morton

Published in Iain McCalman, ed., An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age: British Cutlure 1776–1832 (Oxford UP, 1999), 744.

An account of the range and growth of vegetarianism in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries. An account of the range and growth of vegetarianism in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries.

The Pulses of the Body: Romantic Vegetarian Rhetoric and Its Cultural Contexts

by Tim Morton

Published in Kevin Cope, ed., 1650–1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era, vol. 4 (AMS Press, 1998), 53–88.

A comprehensive account of vegetarian food and eating in the Romantic period. Includes detailed analyses of works by... more A comprehensive account of vegetarian food and eating in the Romantic period. Includes detailed analyses of works by Rousseau, Blake, Gillray and John Stewart.

Cultures of Taste / Theories of Appetite: Eating Romanticism

by Tim Morton

Published by Palgrave (2004).

A collection of essays on food and eating featuring three essays by me: a general introduction; an essay on... more A collection of essays on food and eating featuring three essays by me: a general introduction; an essay on consumerism; and an essay on materialism.

The humanity of what we eat. Conceptions of human uniqueness among vegetarians and omnivores

by Michał Bilewicz

Co-authored with Roland Imhoff and Marek Drogosz, published in 'European Journal of Social Psychology', 2011

Studies on dehumanization demonstrated that denying certain human characteristics might serve as a strategy for moral... more Studies on dehumanization demonstrated that denying certain human characteristics might serve as a strategy for moral disengagement. Meat consumption—especially in the times of cruel animal farming—is related to the exclusion of animals from the human scope of justice. In the present research, it was hypothesized that the conception of human uniqueness (denying animals certain psychological characteristics) might be a strategy of meat-eaters’ moral disengagement. Three studies compared the extent to which vegetarians and omnivores attribute psychological characteristics to humans versus animals. In Study 1, vegetarian participants ascribed more secondary (uniquely human) emotions to animals than did the omnivores; however, there were no differences in primary (animalistic) emotions. Study 2 showed that omnivores distinguish human characteristics from animalistic ones more sharply than vegetarians do, while both groups do not differ in distinguishing human characteristics from mechanistic ones. Study 3 confirmed the results by showing that omnivores ascribed less secondary emotions to traditionally edible animals than to the non-edible species, while vegetarians did not differentiate these animals. These results support the claim that the lay conceptions of ‘human uniqueness’ are strategies of moral disengagement.

The Catholic Way of Treating Animals: why God gave us animals and not machines

by Cheryl Abbate

Critical Review: Why we Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows:

by Natalie Gilbert

Book by Melanie Joy PhD

Book Review: The Way We Eat by Peter Singer and Jim Mason

by Richard Kahn

Journal of Critical Animal Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2006

Hebben dieren een bewustzijn? (Do Animals Have Consciousness?)

by Titus Rivas

Published in Psychologie, July/August 1997, pp. 22-24.

Review of "New Essays in Applied Ethics: Animal Rights, Personhood and the Ethics of Killings", edited by Hon-Lam Li & Anthony Leung (Dutch)

by Titus Rivas

Published in Vega!, nr. 79, Winter 2008/2009, p. 30