Social sciences

Until the last decade of the twentieth century, the abusive or cruel treatment of animals had received virtually no attention among academics. Since then, however, empirical studies of animal abuse and its relation to other forms of violence toward humans, have increased not only in number but in quality and stature. Sociologists, criminologists, social workers, psychologists, legal scholars, femi

To a correctional facility in Virginia he is known as Prisoner 179212. But to a legion of journalists and legal reform activists he is Jens Soering, a German citizen who has endured, for the past twenty-six years, the harshest and most unforgiving punishment the USA can offer—a life sentence without realistic hope of release, which some refer to as "the other death penalty." Told with dry humour,

In THE POLAR BEAR IN THE ZOO, Martin Rowe studies a photograph by the Canadian photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur in the context of her series 'We Animals' and the portraits of several other photographers of captive animals. Rowe looks at how we come to the window to stare at the creatures and the ways we frame our ideas about them within the exposure and capture provided by the photograph and the z

Foreword by Brian May.For four decades, Kim Stallwood has had a front seat in the animal rights movement, starting at the grassroots in England and working his way up to leadership positions at some of the best-known organisations in the world, including Compassion In World Farming, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Yet, as Stallwo

While animals have played a central part in human society over the years, when it comes to the social sciences they have largely been neglected. However, interest in Human–Animal Studies (HAS) has grown exponentially in recent years, giving rise to university and college courses around the world specifically on this compelling and vital subject. Considering topics ranging from the human–animal bon

When The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory by Carol J. Adams was published more than twenty years ago, it caused an immediate stir among writers and thinkers, feminists and animal rights activists alike. Never before had the relationship between patriarchy and meat eating been drawn so clearly, the idea that there lies a strong connection between the consumption of wom

In 2006 the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) was passed in the USA with the intention to equip law enforcement agencies with the tools to apprehend, prosecute and convict individuals who commit "animal enterprise terror." But, as many have come to realise, this act does not concretely define what is meant by that phrase, leading to the interpretation that anyone interfering with a company's

When Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont announced that two oxen called Bill and Lou would be killed and turned into hamburgers despite their years of service as unofficial college and town mascots, Pattrice Jones and her colleagues at nearby VINE Sanctuary offered an alternative scenario: to allow the elderly bovines to retire to the sanctuary. What transpired after this simple offer was

Norm Phelps has long been one of the leading theoreticians, historians and strategists of the animal advocacy movement. His new book collects his recent writings on this subject, as well as offers in print for the first time a fully revised and updated version of the e-book he published in 2013. Phelps argues that faced with the overwhelming wealth and power of the animal exploitation industries,

In ENTANGLED EMPATHY, academic and activist, Lori Gruen, argues that rather than focusing on animal rights, we ought to work to make our relationships with animals right by empathetically responding to their needs, interests, desires, vulnerabilities, hopes and unique perspectives. Pointing out that we are already entangled in complex and life-altering relationships with other animals, Gruen guide

In this searingly honest account of how he came to terms with his destructive habits and changed his relationship with his own body, Alex Lockwood - writer, lecturer and activist working in the fields of literature, creative writing, media and the environment - critically explores the relationship of the body to animal activism. Looking at academic scholarship and animal advocacy organisations, Lo

In recent years, the role of zoos and aquaria as centres for conservation, education, and entertainment has been placed under scrutiny. From the controversy surrounding the confinement of orcas at SeaWorld to the killing of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, questions have been asked about the place, if any, of zoos and aquaria in a world where so many animals need resources and protection

In this lively, accessible and provocative collection, Aph and Syl Ko provide new theoretical frameworks on race, advocacy for nonhuman animals and feminism. Using popular culture as a point of reference for their critiques, the Ko sisters engage in ground-breaking analysis of the compartmentalised nature of contemporary social movements, present new ways of understanding interconnected oppression

It feels like politics counts more today than it ever has. At the same time, people are frustrated by “the mess in Washington” or think “I can't make a difference.” LOCAL POLITICS MATTERS shows a way out - a chance for everyday people to feed their hunger for political action while having a positive impact. LOCAL POLITICS MATTERS takes the knowledge that scholars have gathered from half a century

Proponents of human exceptionalism claim that only humans possess certain morally significant capacities, and as a result are entitled to be treated better than members of all other species. In the last fifty years, scientists have discovered how these capacities are shared by other species, which only raises the questions of how and why we evade responsibility for inhumane behaviour, not only to

THE COWGIRL AND THE RACEHORSE offers a moving, intimate, and richly descriptive memoir on the relationship between a girl and her horses. Beginning with a traumatic horse-riding accident, Wells reflects on the personalities and characters of the many horses—both real and fictional—who have accompanied her through often difficult life experiences, teaching her strength, resilience, discipline, care

For fifty years, both as a combat veteran, police officer, and trainer for law enforcement and the military, Charles “Sid” Heal has devoted his time to limiting the occasions for catastrophic loss of life and to defusing potentially explosive, life-endangering situations. He has written on de-escalation tactics (Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer) and ways to end hostage situations (An Illustrated

In 1993, Jim Mason, journalist, advocate, and pioneering figure in the contemporary animal advocacy movement, published An Unnatural Order - a sweeping overview of the origins of our hatred and destruction of the natural world and its creatures, from the dawn of agriculture to the present day. Now fully revised and updated to reflect developments in paleoanthropology and ethology, as well as great

In the summer of 2019, artist and poet Linnea Ryshke worked as a labourer at an organic meat farm. She transformed what she saw, as well as the specific and acute interactions she had with the animals, into a series of poems, photographs, and artwork. Linnea's intimate, honest, and poignant experience reflects what it means to confront the lives and deaths of individual creatures under your care.

ANTIRACISM IN ANIMAL ADVOCACY is a collection of writings by farmed animal protection advocates who are committed to exploring and prioritizing racial diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as they work to create a more just animal protection movement. The essayists were all attendees of the 2020 inaugural Encompass DEI Institute. Essays include: “From Speaking Up for Animals to Becoming an Antira