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The year 2024 marks the bicentenary of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the world's first registered animal welfare organization, established in 1824. This analysis explores Thomas Hardy's response to animal rights discourses during his life, with special emphasis on the common pursuits of the RSPCA as a champion of animal rights and of Hardy as an evolutionary meliorist who cared about animals. As evidenced by Hardy's literary and non-literary, public and personal writings, his vision of a humanitarian future was inseparable from the question of animal rights, including the plights of working / performing animals, and cruelty to animals in slaughterhouses, battlefields, laboratories and animal sports. Although Han dy was disappointed in his aims to save animals and to alter people's consciousness on the issue, animal rights movements have come a long way through decades of struggle, as reflected in the achievements of the RSPCA and other animal welfare movements. Hardy's attitude toward animals also anticipates subsequent developments in animal studies, including post-humanist approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some authors have suggested that the All Affected Interests Principle, an influential principle of political inclusion, requires that animals have their interests politically represented. In this paper, I provide a systematic formulation, assessment, and defense of this argument, and suggest a middle way between two strategies found in the literature. On the one hand, I argue that applying the All Affected Interests to animals inevitably requires that we make some (potentially controversial) assumptions about the weight and scope of animal interests, and cannot remain morally noncommittal. This is because most formulations of the principle do not apply to all interests, but only to those that satisfy a relevancy test – which requires first-order moral reasoning. On the other hand, I also contend that one can defend some substantive claims about the inclusion of animals via the All Affected Interests Principle without having to endorse a comprehensive account of animal rights, or a theory about the worth of natural entities. For the All Affected Interests Principle to apply to animals, all that we need are instances of normatively relevant interests systematically affected by political decisions. The interest of mammals in avoiding pain and suffering, I contend, provides such an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do non-human animals have moral standing? Work on this question has focused on choosing the right grounding property (for example, personhood or sentience) while little attention has been paid to the various ways that the connection between grounding properties and moral standing has been explained. In this paper, I address that gap by offering a fresh way to approach the debate over the grounds of moral standing, including a novel taxonomy of positions, and argue that one kind of position, which takes a 'value-first' approach, is preferable to the other, which takes an 'interests-first' approach. According to value-first accounts, some individuals have moral standing because they have properties that make them valuable. According to interests-first accounts, some individuals have moral standing because they have interests, and any interest must always be taken into account. I argue that we should prefer value-first accounts because they engage directly with the problem the concept of moral standing is employed to solve, and because interests-first accounts cannot meet their explanatory burdens without begging the question against value-first accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arguments against inflicting violence on people to defend animal rights have relied on the view that inflicting violence is always wrong. But these arguments end up prohibiting too much, as defensive violence should be permissible in certain extreme cases. We argue that considerations about the counterproductiveness of defensive violence are better at distinguishing permissible and impermissible instances of animal rights violence than a blanket rejection of violence. We respond to the objection that assuming violence to be counterproductive is ad hoc, discussing real‐world and fictional examples of animal rights violence. We argue that defensive violence on behalf of animals should almost always be assumed to be counterproductive because it threatens to trigger self‐reinforcing reactions on the part of the socio‐technical regimes that violate animal rights in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies and describes the connection between ecology, income, and commodification of animal life using the examples of macaques on social media. The exploitation of macaques for income has recently become an accessible social phenomenon through world-wide social media platforms: Facebook and YouTube, especially. This example of the commodification of animal life illustrates the interconnections among poverty, mental health, and animal rights, thus demonstrating the need for multiple layers of assessment and intervention for change to improve the lives of both vulnerable humans and monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most, if not all, animal rescues, sanctuaries, zoos, and aquariums experienced financial distress. This stress had an impact on the welfare of animals and their human caretakers, an issue important to ecological social work. We draw on a novel dataset (n = 2,060) to assess support for policies to extend emergency funding to animal support and conservation organizations in extreme events. We find that, on average women and nonbinary individuals, those with more education, people who have pets, people who are concerned about other humans (humanistic altruism), and those who have greater concern for animals report greater support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes course-based projects in a Masters of Social Work class designed to explore the importance of environmental issues on the interactions between humans and animals. Three service-learning projects were implemented within a community "EarthFest" event to promote increased awareness of sustainability and actions to protect the environment while enhancing both welfare of animals and health and human well-being. Therapy and robotic animals were integrated into the projects to provide direct, hands-on benefits and interaction for participants. These projects reinforced social work values of service and social justice while developing student's skills in creating and facilitating an animal-assisted activity focused on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal rights organisations worldwide fight against live shipments of meat animals. The main Israeli NGOs leading the fight are Animals-Now, Israel against Live Shipments, and Let the Animals Live. Their visual rhetoric highlights the cruelty of these shipments. Combined with written messages, photographs of animal suffering appeal to viewers’ emotions and conscience. This article examined ‘Stop the Death Transports!’ – The most extensive campaign led by these NGOs, together with Animals Australia, in 2016. It analysed the campaign poster from the approaches of photography semiotics and visual contextual analysis, informed by theories of visual culture and animal ethics. The campaign represents an intermediate approach between the hardcore and softcore approaches, using visual and verbal references to the Holocaust and slavery. However, though the use of the Holocaust is highly charged for local Jewish viewers thus contributing to the understanding of the immorality of consuming meat, it may in fact assuage their conscience by shifting the moral burden from the meat eaters to the transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the ways widely circulated U.S. newspapers have articulated the idea of "speciesism" and its associated idea "animal rights" in relation to "racism" to understand how powerful news media helps to shape the public understanding of the interlocking systems of oppression that cuts across the human and the more-than-human world. The archives (1987 to 2023) of three U.S. newspapers - The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post - were analyzed, using qualitative content analysis. The ideas of articulation, symbolic annihilation, erasure, and discursive closure served as the analytical guides for the analysis. The analysis shows that there is gross underrepresentation of speciesism and even far less representation of the relationship between speciesism and racism and between animal rights and anti-racism. When represented, the articulations showed problematic patterns of erasure of those concepts and relationships. The paper ends with the implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Souviens-toi de moi, a novel published in 2014 by French writer Martine Laffon, reclaims the memory of travailleurs chinois on the Western Front during the First World War, at the same time exposing the deliberate agenda of forgetting in both French and Chinese memory cultures. Referring to Mary Louise Pratt’s concept of contact zone and Leela Gandhi’s concept of affective cosmopolitanism, I show how the novel creates an inclusive ethics across race, gender and species, challenging the fixed hierarchies of Western modernity. Synchronously, by applying the multidirectional framework of noeuds de mémoire, the article demonstrates how Laffon constructs war remembrance at the conjunction of anti-militarism, anti-imperialism, feminism and the struggle for animal rights. The novel thus offers a vision of the First World War that radically departs from the French récit national and the Chinese instrumentalization of the laborers’ war memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonhuman interests are today routinely articulated in a register of 'rights'. 'Rights of nature' and 'animal rights' have expanded the vernacular of liberal rights beyond the human subject, thereby arguably entering the realm of 'post-human rights'. For such rights to be enforced, however, they must be recognised within a legal order and mediated by human subjects speaking on behalf of nonhuman 'right-holders'. This article focuses on the modes of representation and subjectification of nonhumans – whether natural entities, animals, or ecosystems – that underpin this reconfiguration. While granting rights to nonhumans de-centres the human figure at the heart of liberal legal orders, it remains focused on the category of the subject. Taking on the questions of the symposium on 'After Rights? Politics, Ethics, Aesthetics', I argue that granting rights to nonhumans might well enable a move beyond or 'after human rights', but not 'after human rights'. To think the possibility of an 'after rights', I turn to practices of sociality as articulated in works of critical Black studies that refuse the category of the subject as such. What emerges are modes of living in escape from violent subjections to racialised, colonial, and liberal inscriptions of worlding through 'rights', whether humans or nonhumans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the turn of the century, historians have focused on the diverse representations of the past, recognizing that traditional spaces (e.g., museums, statuary, and public commemorations) no longer have a monopoly on the public dissemination of history. This article explores representations of the past from an unusual place: punk rock music and the Canadian band Propagandhi (1986–present). It asks: Can we read history through punk rock? If so, what do we learn? Punks' treatment of the past should be integrated into how we evaluate public consumption of history. While Propagandhi does not create new knowledge, their music acts as an alternative historical epistemology that tracks alongside professional historians. This article explains how punks have integrated historical material similar to the aesthetics used in punk zines, fashions, and record designs. It then analyzes Propagandhi's focus on hypocrisy in punk communities through a historical framework, their perception of the early modern European epistemological origins of animal abuse, and their performance of a social history that magnifies the experiences of marginalized peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's pinnacle horse racing event, attracting more than 80,000 physical attendees each year (pre-COVID-19), as well as numerous others watching via live broadcasts around the country and overseas. In recent times, however, there have been growing calls to boycott the event, following concerns over the treatment of horses. New hashtag movements lobbying against horse racing have also emerged, aided by the affordances of social media. However, very little attention has been paid to these digital movements in the animal-based leisure and recreation literature. In this study, we investigate one such growing movement, namely, #Nuptothecup. We explore how horse racing is framed by digital activists, revealing their moral, socio-cultural, and political objections. Our findings suggest a societal shift towards a strong animal ethics sentiment combined with a more generalised disdain towards the racing industry and its wider societal ramifications. We argue that if #Nuptothecup and related activisms continue to gain momentum, the Cup may eventually lose its social licence to operate. Further, we consider potential opportunities for managers to reinvent horse racing's image and practices, if it is to secure its survival as an Australian recreational institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Latin American & Latinx Visual Culture is the property of University of California Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article delves into the parallel natures of both the divine law and animal rights within the religious contexts of the Old and New Testaments. Employing a comparative approach, the paper inspects the developing perspectives on the treatment of animals in biblical scriptures, shedding light on the ethical and legal dimensions embedded in religious teachings. The study investigates key subtopics such as sacrificial rituals and moral imperatives, providing a nuanced understanding of the historical development of attitudes towards animals. Additionally, the analysis of this article encompasses ethical considerations, legal implications, and societal attitudes towards animals, drawing connections between ancient laws and contemporary discourse. Moreover, this article will look at the contemporary needs of society and how religious discourse and juristic principles can be applied to ensure the safety and rights of animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prompted by Signal et al.'s study, this research examines UK "Pet Insurance" policies to see if and how experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in interspecies households is excluded under insurance policies terms. Situating our findings within the existing literature on human and companion animal victims of DVA, we discuss the implications for improving cross-reporting and multi-agency action to protect and prevent harm to humans and companion animal victims of DVA. In turn we identify a series of recommendations to combat discrimination in insurance, set out in our conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white-elitist veganism of the Global North does not adequately respond to the territorial, cultural, and economic particularities of the Latin American region. This article discusses the approaches of animal rights activists from the South and their critical handling of the animal question, which challenges the neocolonial and universalising logics characteristic of hegemonic animal advocacy. It seeks to explain empirically the composition of popular and decolonial styles of veganism in Latin America, using a qualitative methodology to analyse the life stories of Luis, Luz and Puka, indigenous animal rights activists from Ecuador and Peru. Thus, it describes the subjectivities of popular veganism which, sharing the wound of colonialism, develop critical decolonial discourses and practices that affirm the principles of the Andean cosmovision of Buen Vivir - Good Living, the return to the “chakra”, respect for the living, the recovery of ancestral memory, and the defence of territorial food sovereignty.

This paper discusses how a consumer social movement employs prefigurative practices to resist a dominant market logic and drive market changes in the here and now. We based our research on one year of ethnographic fieldwork with vegetarian and animal welfare activists embedded in a cultural milieu that predominantly supports the consumption of animal products. We used the storytelling method for the description and data analysis. Our findings reveal that activists challenge the market logic of animal abuse in three ways. First, they work to revolutionise the so-called meat culture. Second, they pro-actively demand laws that protect animal rights. Third, they establish singular modes of community-based exchange that detach themselves from the doxa of the consumption of animal products. By opposing the mainstream culture, the mainstream policy and the mainstream marketplace, these activists develop influential arenas of consumption that resemble their ideal world and impact the market as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue for the conditions that eco-sabotage (sabotage involving the protection of animals or the environment) must meet to be a morally permissible form of activism in a liberal democracy. I illustrate my case with Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya's oil pipeline destruction, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's whale hunt sabotage, and the Valve Turners' pipeline shut-off, climate necessity-defense. My primary contention is that just as it is permissible to destroy an attacker's weapon in self- or other-defense, it is permissible to engage in some forms of eco-sabotage. Taking inspiration from just war theory, I use the conditions of just cause, reasonable chance of success, proportionality, necessity, and discrimination to both conceptualize eco-sabotage as defense and illustrate the justificatory burden the eco-saboteur must meet. Often eco-sabotage is doubly pro-tanto wrong because it is illegal and involves property destruction. Overcoming these hurdles is particularly difficult because in seemingly bypassing democratic means of dispute resolution, the eco-saboteur seemingly coerces the other members of society by forcing idiosyncratic views upon them. Non-anthropocentric eco-sabotage grounded in defense of animal rights has mixed results regarding the democratic objection just described. I argue that anthropocentric eco-sabotage, grounded in defense of human rights, has the best chance of overcoming this objection, provided a persuasive case can be made for its reasonable chance of success. Passing a reasonable chance of success also causes problems for non-anthropocentric eco-sabotage grounded in species defense, while non-anthropocentric eco-sabotage grounded in defense against animal suffering has a lighter justificatory burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal‐assisted interventions (AAIs) have the potential to enhance people's well‐being and function and are increasingly being implemented across a range of settings. This scoping review explored how AAIs have been used in adult hospital rehabilitative care. Using JBI and PRISMA‐ScR guidelines, a systematic search of four databases was undertaken. Inclusion criteria involved adults, aged >18 years, who had received AAIs in the hospital rehabilitation setting. Twenty‐two articles met the inclusion criteria. Results identified two intervention types: visitation activities (n = 8 studies) and structured therapeutic interventions (n = 14 studies). Dogs were the most common animal species. Improvements in social and emotional well‐being were reported across both types of interventions, with improvements in ambulation, motor skills, and verbal communication reported by those engaged in structured therapeutic interventions. Implementation challenges included a dependency on volunteer dog‐handlers; the need for better recording of interventions in medical records to enable evaluation; and cost, safety, infection control, and animal welfare considerations. Strengthening the planning of AAIs is fundamental for the realization of potential outcomes from human–animal interactions in hospital rehabilitative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined changes in the rates of vegetarianism among a sample of young American adults. Over 15 years, students at an American university (N = 12,704) described their dietary habits. Multilevel modeling analyses (participants nested within semesters) found that overall, the percentage of vegetarians increased over time, whereas the percentage of omnivores decreased over time; however, these changes occurred only for women. The dietary habits of men did not change over time. In a second study, in a sample of 363 adult vegetarians from the US, we found that women were more likely than men to become vegetarians due to concerns about the ethics of raising animals for food and eating them, suggesting that increased societal concern about animal rights may be responsible in part for the gender differences over time in vegetarianism. These results extend existing research on gender differences and suggest that if current trends continue, gender differences in vegetarianism may be more pronounced in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Medical Association (AMA) was a major player in debates about vivisection in the late 1800s to mid-1950s. This article provides an overview of arguments and guidelines the AMA once offered in favor of the practice in 1909. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions of nonhuman research ethics tend to focus on what we owe nonhuman research subjects in laboratory settings only. But humans make critical decisions about these animals outside the lab, too, during breeding, transportation, and end-of-study protocols. This article reviews extra-lab risks and harms to nonhuman research subjects, focusing on the most commonly and intensively used animals like rodents and fishes, and argues that extra-lab risks and harms merit ethical consideration by researchers and institutional review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the legal status of nonhuman animals used in biomedical research. While acknowledging that, presently, nonhuman animals in research settings hold no personal legal rights, this article explores what a legal person is and proposes that it is possible for nonhuman animals to become legal persons and receive better protections under the federal Animal Welfare Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits states from depriving any person "equal protection of the laws," and the Constitution's Fifth Amendment has been interpreted as applying this prohibition to the federal government. This article considers whether constitutional equal protection should apply to some nonhuman animals in light of corporations having gained such protection and concludes that expanding equal protection personhood to nonhuman animals is improbable in the present legal landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political theory has long depended upon a clear boundary between life and non-life. Even work which emphasizes non-human beings (e.g., in animal rights, posthumanism or "new materialism") continues to reinforce the divide between the organic and the inorganic. This article undermines that division, highlighting marginal cases of life. The organicity of certain rocks and biochar, the growth of crystals, the machinic qualities of viruses: all point to an instability in the excluded middle between life and non-life. The article suggests alternative philosophical traditions to which political theory could turn—namely, panpsychism, hylozoism, and traditional animism—as conceptual and theoretical resources to examine these interstices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research seeks to expand the in-depth knowledge on the ethical dilemmas veterinary doctors face while providing care for homeless animals, brought to clinics by volunteers. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with veterinary doctors in Latvia. The study reveals the complex emotions involved in the interactions between veterinarians and volunteers, as well as the factors affecting a veterinarian's decision made about homeless animals. The results show a positive attitude towards the altruism of volunteers, but significant concerns around financial matters and the use of animals for fundraising. Debates about charging for stray care highlight potential disagreements between veterinarians and activists. Veterinarians prioritise education and advocacy, providing compassionate assistance to pet owners. Societal expectations strongly shape how they perceive their role, emphasising the reduction of animal suffering and the improvement of animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of disasters are not limited to humans only; these disasters are also an important risk factor for animals. Today, the issue of animal rights are often neglected in disaster. Within this context, the study will examine international policy documents, legal regulations, plans, programs, and practices regarding disaster management and animal rights. In the study, it was determined that national level policy documents, legal regulations about disaster management in Turkey have a human-oriented perspective and activities carried out before, during and after the disaster are not sufficent. The study emphasizes that the disaster management system should not only be human-focused but also that all life forms, including animals, should have equal rights to life and self-realization. Including the issue of animal rights in the disaster management process will contribute to the realization of environmental and social justice and also the success of the disaster management process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European countries are gradually recognizing animal rights and implementing specific social policies. Particularly in Spain, the debate is intensifying with the approval of law 17/2021 on animal welfare. This research seeks to analyze the main arguments about animals as subjects of rights in our societies. The methodology consists of a systematic review of the specialized literature. The results reveal four argumentative axes. The first focuses on European and national policies that since the 1980s consider animals as sentient beings, linking their good treatment with the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) aid. The second highlights the physical and psychological benefits of the human-animal relationship. A third axis addresses the social inclusion of animals by social democratic political parties. Finally, a fourth axis emerges with the extension of the concept of citizenship to animals, led by "Zoopolis" in 2011. As main conclusions, animal welfare is seen as a revisable concept, approaching the concept of citizenship, in connection and synergy with that of social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing impetus for social work to move beyond a human-centric social justice orientation to include the consideration of animals. Social work programs in Australia are currently not required to include content related to animals within the curricula and little is known about the extent to which this content is currently being taught in Australia. The aim of this study was to explore how consideration of human–animal relations has been incorporated into Australian social work programs. Fifteen social work educators were surveyed with three of these participants also undertaking semistructured interviews. The findings revealed that where animal-related content was included it predominantly took an "instrumental" or "anthropocentric" focus related solely to human wellbeing. Exceptions to this focus were found to exist within some ethics and theory units under topics such as "green social work". Participants report barriers to including such content citing factors related to challenges within the university context and the perceived relative importance of other topics within a crowded social work curriculum. Despite an upsurge in interest in animal-related content reflected in the literature and a broader shift in societal attitudes towards animals, the findings of this small study indicate that Australian social work curriculum currently does not reflect this increasing interest. As a social justice–oriented profession social work has an ethical responsibility to expand its focus to include consideration of human–animal relations within the Australian social work curriculum. There is evidence that inclusion of content related to animals is limited and is often a reflection of the educator's commitment and passion for the topic rather than curriculum priorities or requirements. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the extent to which human–animal relations content is included within Australian social work curriculum and what barriers may exist to its inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae is the property of Uniwerystet Kardynala Stefana Wyznskiege w Warzawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Zoos as an institution have a significant international and educational reach, with hundreds of institutions worldwide and hundreds of millions of visitors each year. But even with such reach, zoos continue to be overlooked by the field of literature. Over the years, zoos have been represented in many literary landscapes, and the same can be analyzed for understanding how zoos as an institution. Furthermore, the zoo’s representation in literature opens the venue for discourses on ethical considerations and moral dilemmas surrounding zoos, and questioning the impact of human intervention on the natural world. Authors of such work navigate themes of conservation, animal rights, and the blurred lines between entertainment and exploitation, prompting readers to reconsider their perceptions of zoological spaces. This research paper delves into the multifaceted representations of zoos in literature, examining how authors have engaged with the concept of the zoo as a cultural and societal institution. By employing a thematic approach, the paper investigates how zoos have been depicted as microcosms of society, mirrors reflecting human behavior and societal attitudes towards nature. The exploration encompasses works, such as Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story which delve into the dichotomy between captivity and freedom. The study spans various literary works aiming to provide a comprehensive analysis of the evolving portrayal of zoos in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]