Abstract
This chapter offers an overview of non-speciesist approaches to harm, arguing that violence against non-human animals constitutes a form of social harm. Non-human animals are part of the social world, and violence against non-human animals is socially harmful in its individual and institutional forms, to human and non-human animals alike, and to the environment. Central to this is an acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of capitalism, violence and other forms of oppression, such as patriarchy and colonialism. To conclude, the chapter identifies potential positive actions that can be taken to address this violence, for example, including green criminology and critical animal studies in the curriculum, lending practical support to environmental and vegan causes.
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Notes
- 1.
‘Charismatic megafauna’ are species of animals who have symbolic or cultural significance or who are broadly liked by humans (such as Giant Pandas and Humpback Whales), and therefore more likely to valued and seen as worthy of human interest, respect and protection.
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Further Reading
Further Reading
Adams, C. (1990). The Sexual Politics of Meat. New York: Continuum.
This hugely influential text provides a feminist analysis of the links between patriarchy and animal abuse, arguing that feminist analysis logically contains a critique of human/animal relationships. The text illustrates how hierarchies of species, which nurture the oppression of other animals and allow meat consumption are interconnected with hierarchies of race, class and gender within patriarchal societies.
Nocella, A., Sorenson, J., Socha, K., & Matsuoko, A. (2014). Defining Critical Animal Studies: An Intersectional Social Justice Approach for Liberation. New York: Peter Lang.
This edited volume collects a number of essays broadly united under the heading ‘Critical Animal Studies’. It provides a very useful introduction to this diverse, interdisciplinary field, and includes chapters focusing on total liberation, the relationship between academia and activism, critical animal studies pedagogy, and more.
Piers Beirne. (2018). Murdering Animals: Writings on Theriocide, Homicide and Non-Speciesist Criminology. London: Palgrave.
This text introduces the concept of ‘theriocide’ to describe the death of animals as a result of human actions. This new way of conceptualising harm to animals has had profound impact on enhancing interest in species justice within and beyond the discipline of criminology.
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Stephens Griffin, N., Griffin, N. (2021). Beyond Meat? Taking Violence Against Non-human Animals Seriously as a Form of Social Harm. In: Davies, P., Leighton, P., Wyatt, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Social Harm. Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72408-5_12
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