Vegan Studies: An Academic Approach to Animal Ethics and Culture
In 2016, scholars Melanie Joy and Jens Tuider identified a growing necessity for a dedicated field of research they termed vegan studies. This academic discipline moves beyond dietary choices to establish veganism as a serious subject of scholarly inquiry. It examines the history of veganism and carnism (the invisible belief system that conditions people to eat certain animals), while exploring the ethical, political, and cultural foundations that shape vegan identity.
Vegan studies investigates how these identities are portrayed across various mediums, including literature, film, advertising, and the arts. By analyzing the repercussions of veganism on society, the field seeks to understand the tension between animal liberation and established cultural norms.
Relationship to Critical Animal Studies
While distinct, vegan studies is closely linked to Critical Animal Studies (CAS). According to Núria Almiron et al. (2018), both are related branches in the evolution of critical approaches to human domination. Vegan studies specifically highlights the oppositional role veganism plays against ideologies that legitimate oppression, as well as the ways in which mainstream media may misrepresent the movement.
Alex Lockwood, a CAS theorist at the University of Sunderland, suggests that vegan studies provides a radical and coherent framework. This approach ensures that the lived experiences of all beings are considered when examining how discourse shapes power dynamics.
Vegan Studies Analysis and Methodology
Scholars in this field utilize an intersectional lens—an analytical framework that considers how various forms of oppression overlap—to explore the relationship between humans, their food sources, and the environment.
Literary Analysis: The Vegetarian
An example of this analysis is found in Caitlin E. Stobie's 2017 study of Han Kang's novel, The Vegetarian. The story follows Yeong-hye, who stops eating animal products after dreaming of slaughter, leading to severe social alienation and conflict with her family. Rather than viewing Yeong-hye's behavior as a mental illness, Stobie interprets her actions as a posthumanist performance of vegan praxis, driven by trauma and a desire for interspecies connection.
The Ethics of Witnessing
Sara Salih explores the concept of "failed witness" through personal accounts of encountering animal suffering, such as seeing electric prods used on pigs at a slaughterhouse. Salih argues that witnessing these acts serves an ethical purpose, acting as a performative "un-sanctioning" of the violence.
Drawing on Giorgio Agamben's Remnants of Auschwitz, Salih compares the "animalization" of animals in slaughterhouses to the dehumanization of prisoners in concentration camps. She challenges the moral validity of current logic by urging observers to look closely at the source of their food—even common pet kibble—to acknowledge the scale of suffering involved.
Veganism in Art History
Art historian Jason Edwards applies vegan studies to the 1857 painting Diana and Chase in the Arctic by James H. Wheldon. The work depicts whalers from Hull, England—which boasted Britain's largest whaling fleet between 1815 and 1825—hunting whales, walruses, and seals for blubber to produce oil for lamps and machinery.
Edwards notes that the painting aligns the viewer with the hunters, rendering the screams of the harpooned whales and injured narwhals "conspicuously absent." He points out that Wheldon used the same vermillion paint for his signature as he did for the blood of the animals, suggesting a subconscious acknowledgment of the scene's "moral darkness." Edwards argues that a vegan studies perspective reveals the animal presence not only in the imagery but in the raw materials of the art itself, such as horsehair brushes and spermaceti candles.
Key Facts
- Founded: Formally proposed as a field of research in 2016 by Melanie Joy and Jens Tuider.
- Core Focus: The ethical, political, and cultural basis of veganism and the history of carnism.
- Academic Link: Closely related to Critical Animal Studies (CAS) as a challenge to human domination.
- Methodology: Uses intersectional and posthumanist lenses to analyze literature, art, and media.
- Goal: To account for the experiences of all beings in the analysis of power and discourse.
| Application Area | Focus of Analysis | Key Example/Scholar |
|---|---|---|
| Literature | Posthumanist performance and trauma | Caitlin E. Stobie (on The Vegetarian) |
| Ethics/Sociology | The act of witnessing animal suffering | Sara Salih |
| Art History | Hidden violence and material origins | Jason Edwards (on James H. Wheldon) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary goal of vegan studies?
The primary goal is to establish veganism as an academic topic, examining its ethical and political foundations and exploring how vegan identity is represented in culture, media, and the arts.
How does vegan studies differ from Critical Animal Studies (CAS)?
While both are critical approaches to human domination, vegan studies specifically focuses on the role of veganism as an oppositional force to ideologies that justify oppression.
What is an "intersectional lens" in the context of vegan studies?
It is an analytical approach that examines the relationship between humans and their environment by looking at how different forms of oppression and domination overlap.
How is vegan studies applied to art history?
It involves analyzing artworks to uncover the hidden suffering of animals, questioning the perspective of the viewer, and identifying animal-derived materials used in the creation of the art.
What is carnism in the context of this research?
Carnism refers to the invisible belief system that conditions people to accept and support the eating of certain animals while rejecting others.