Veganism’s anti-anthropocentric capacity: A critical analysis of the advocacy discourse of three prominent vegan organisations

Gough, Louis Arthur

Abstract

Anthropocentrism has been identified as a root cause of nonhuman animal and intrahuman oppressions and the environmental crisis. Veganism has been celebrated as a philosophy and practice capable of undermining anthropocentrism, yet the anti-anthropocentric capacity of vegan advocacy is understudied. The current research provides a critical analysis of the online advocacy discourse of three prominent vegan organisations – The Vegan Society, PETA, and Viva! – elucidating areas of anthropocentric reinforcement and subversion in correspondence to the conceptual characteristics of anthropocentrism: human-centred narcissism and exceptionalism, the perceived human/animal dichotomy, and a corresponding moral hierarchy that exalts particular understandings of the “human” to the detriment of all considered other-than (Calarco 2014). Given the interconnectedness of nonhuman and human oppressions and importance of decentring the anthropocentric conception of the “human”, the intersectional strengths and shortcomings of the organisations’ vegan advocacy is additionally considered, with many areas of needed improvement being highlighted. The article contributes to research on vegan/nonhuman animal rights advocacy and social movement communication, and facilitates the future production of anti-anthropocentric, intersectional, vegan advocacy campaigns.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 26, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 26, 2023
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 2, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 3, 2023
• Journal: Relations. Beyond Anthropocentrism
• Electronic ISSN: 2280-9643
• Publisher: LED Edizioni Universitarie
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 9-28
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.7358/rela-2023-01-goul
• Keywords: advocacy; animal rights; anthropocentrism; discourse analysis; intersectionality; nonhuman animals; online; oppression; social movements; veganisms
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11147866
• Publisher URL: https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/4692/1789