Letter from the Chair: Michelle Proctor

Autumn Newsletter, 2016

Letter From The Chair: Michelle Proctor

Hello fellow Animals & Society information and resources for One of the primary ways you can Section members! those considering proposing Ani- contribute to the life of the section mals & Society courses to their re- is by presenting at and attending I hope the fall semester is treat- spective institutions. Our Section our paper sessions. ing you well. I am very excited to has done this in the past, and we be serving as Chair of our Section would like to update or database. The Call for Papers will be coming this year. Through these survey and out very soon on course promotion efforts, we aim November 1st! This year, the an- I would like to thank Lisa Jean to recruit more faculty members nual meeting will be held August Moore for her work as Chair this to the section as well. 12-15, 2017 in Montreal. Our sec- past year, especially for organiz- Those of you who know me tion will have sessions on the first ing our paper sessions, our award know that I am an applied sociol- day, Saturday nominations and ogist. Most of my work is done in August 12th, so you can start think- recipients, and for composing and the field, and is less pure ing about your papers and travel submitting our Section Annual academic as some of your work. plans now. The 2017 cycle allows Report. us two sessions: One paper panel This year, our council is session and another open striving to increase our member- roundtable session. ship. The good news is that our membership has remained rel- The Section Council has atively stable, and we are down worked together on the following only one member. So, our primary theme for the paper panel session: goal for the year is that of recruit- “Animals and the Environment.” ment. For the past few years, our It is hoped that we can collaborate section has focused on recruiting more closely with members who are graduate student members, as doing work in this area. The round- they represent a significant area table session will be open topic. As of long-term growth for the sec- usual, the paper submission dead- tion. Increased membership will line will be in January. bring with it advantages such as I will, therefore, be relying upon the possibility of having more ses- membership whose work provides Please consider running for Section sions, more resources to offer sec- them with more opportunities to positions. More information will be tion members, and we would like network with scholars in the field. forthcoming. We are also working to continue a mentoring program This networking will also serve us on assembling an awards commit- for graduate students and young- in our membership in that we may tee, and you will be notified when er faculty conducting research be able to reach out to members in that occurs. and teaching in the area of ani- other sections whose work entails mals and society. intersectionality with that of our (continued on page 2) In the future, We would own. like to conduct a survey of faculty teaching courses in this area in order to provide 1 Letter from the Chair (cont.) - Note From The Editor

Finally, I would like to thank Susan Lunn for compiling and editing the newsletter, Loredana Loy for running our social media sites, and Larry and Helene Lawson for assisting with the new webpage design.

Volunteers to head up committees or assist with any activity is most welcomed! Please feel free to call upon me to offer suggestions ([email protected]). I very much look forward to working with you all!

Michelle Proctor, Chair

Hi there, fellow Animals & Society section members!

For those of you who do not recognize my name, don’t worry - we haven’t met before! I am currently a graduate student at Madonna University, earning my degree in Humane Studies: Criminal Justice. I cannot highly recommend this program enough and would be happy to answer any questions you have about my experiences in this program. I have greatly enjoyed working on this newsletter, and look forward to the next newsletter. Please forward any section announcements, publications, or requests directly to me for the next publication at my school email: [email protected] .

I look forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you to everyone who submitted for this issue for their patience as I learned the ropes of the newsletter.

-Susan Lunn, graduate student

Amy Fitzgerald, associate professor in Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology at the University of Windsor, has been awarded a grant to establish the Animal and Interpersonal Abuse Research Group (A.I.A.R.G.) at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Congratulations, Amy!

2 Section Announcements (Awards)

2016 Teacher Award Recipient: Keri Brandt “After nearly a decade, in the fall of 2015 I was able to teach an “Animals and Society” course as a special topics course in my department. As I prepared for the course, I made the decision to spend more time getting students out of the classroom and into settings where humans are em- bedded with animals in a variety of contexts. Together we journeyed out on numerous fieldtrips, from the slaughter house to the wolf refuge and in between, and we were able to explore a range of issues that shape the lives of animals. Coincidently, Temple Grandin’s book, Thinking in Pictures, was the campus wide reading book for that same semester. Given this, I wove into my syllabus a greater emphasis on animals in agriculture. Reading Dr. Grandin’s book, listening to her speak when she came to campus, and touring a small slaughterhouse facility created a fertile ground to investigate questions related to animals in agriculture. These questions can indeed be emotionally charged, especially when there is a diversity of views in one classroom. A central goal of the course is to help students understand the complexity of animals lives and encourage them to develop greater sense of empathy for all animals. Additionally, I encouraged us all to challenge some of the dualistic, right/wrong thinking that often frames conversations related to animals in agriculture. Through many invigorating and sometimes hard discussions, throughout the semester we were able to delve deeply into the contradictory relationships, both indirect and direct, that often shape the intersection of animal and human lives. What emerged was one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my career and I am happy to say that this course is now officially “on the books” and will be a regularly taught course at the college for years to come. Our department Chair, Becky Clausen, nominated this class for the award. It was a complete surprise and more importantly a great honor to be chosen as this year’s recipient.”

T -Keri Brandt, 2016 Award Recipient

Bio: Keri Brandt is an associate professor of Sociology and Gender/Women’s Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Her research has primarily focused on human-horse relationships; more recently, she has been exploring human-animal relationships in the context of cattle ranching, as well as the lived experience of animals in agriculture.

3 Section Announcements (Awards)

2016 Jane Goodall Award for Graduate Student Scholarship Recipient Andrea Laurent-Simpson

Andrea’s manuscript “Extending Identity Theory: Parenting and Identity Formation in the Context of Human-Animal Relationships” uses in-depth interviews of companion animal owner, both with and without human children, to examine the existence of a parent identity that is based in cultural scripts, yet idiosyncratic in nature because it is counter to the non- human animal rather than a human child. She argues that the formation of role identity in human actors does not necessarily occur only in the context of other humans. Rather, depend- ing on context and human perception, role identity can be formed as a result of meaningful social interaction with the companion animal. Indeed, she finds that both childfree and childless companion animal guardian narratives demonstrate the presence of substantial behavioral out- put that is strongly aligned with cultural expectations in the United States for the status of parent. This suggests that a parent identity is internalized for many childless and childfree participants that perceive their animals as surrogate children. It also highlights the need to consider human-animal interaction as a possible source of role identity development beyond the human-human interaction currently theorized in identity theory for the formation of role identities.

-Andrea Laurent-Simpson

Bio: Andrea Laurent-Simpson is a doctoral candidate in Sociology at Texas Woman’s University with areas of specialization in social psychology and stratification. She has research and teaching interests in symbolic interaction, family and fertility, gender, risk society, and theory. Her dissertation considers identity theory, family structure and fertility, and human-animal bonding. In it, she explores companion animals as a source of identity formation for child free and childless people. She also uses this data to explore the function of external support from significant others in allowing the enactment of this identity in a society that stigmatizes not only child- lessness but also “pet” parents. Finally, she considers the effect that this identity has on both household structure as well as future fertility intentions in the childfree. Several papers have evolved from this work and are currently under review or in the revise and resubmit period with peer-reviewed journals. Currently, she is co-investigator on a project that examines the social con- struction of Zika virus on social media and the implications that this has for Gidden’s conceptualization of risk society.

4 Section Announcements - Recent Publications Books

Culture and Activism: Animal Rights in France and the United States by Eliza- beth Cherry This book offers a comparison of the animal rights movements in the U.S. and France, drawing on ethnographic and interview material gathered amongst activists in both countries. Investigating the ways in which culture affects the outcomes of the two movements, the author examines its role as a constraining and enabling structure in both contexts, showing how cultural beliefs, values, and practices at the international, national, and organizational levels shape the strategic and tactical choices available to activists, and shedding light on the reasons for which activists make the choices that they do.

With attention to the different emphases placed by the respective movements on ideolog- ical purity and pragmatism, this volume provides an account of why their achievements differ in spite of their shared ultimate goals, offering policy recommendations and suggestions for activists working in a variety of cultures. Informed by the work of Giddens and Bourdieu, Culture and Activism: Animal Rights in France and the United States con- stitutes an empirically grounded, comparative study of activism that will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology, political science, and cultural geography with interests in social movements and social problems.

NEW BOOK SERIES: Palgrave Studies in Animals and Social Problems Series editor: Leslie Irvine [email protected]

This series focuses on how animals matter in social problems. Because animals are incor- porated into the economic, sociological, emotional, and moral fabric of society, their roles in social problems have wide-ranging implications. Cruelty to animals, animal fighting, pet prohibitions in rental housing, animal hoarding, wildlife crimes, the illegal traffic in endangered species, and zoonotic disease transmission represent just a few examples of social problems that this series might address. Contact Leslie Irvine if you would like to propose a book for the series.

5 Section Announcements - Recent Publications (cont. from page 5) Articles

Alexander Simon, associate professor of sociology at Utah Valley University, has published an article in Monthly Review entitled “Against Trophy Hunting: A Marxian-Leopoldian Critique”.

Jennifer Sinski, a fourth-year doctoral student in Sociology at University of Louisville, has co-authored a paper to appear in the October issue of Anthrozoos entitled “Putting (Big) Black Dog Syndrome to the Test: Evidence from a Large Metropolitan Shelter”.

Jessica Greenebaum, a professor of Sociology at Central Connecticut State University, has a forthcoming article entitled “Questioning the Concept of Vegan Privilege: A Commentary” Humanity & Society. pre-print: first published on April 13, 2016 as DOI: 10.1177/0160597616640308

Loredana Loy, Ph.D. student at Cornell University, has recently published “Media Activism and Advocacy: What’s Film Got to Do with it?” In Almiron, Nuria, Mathew Cole and Carrie Packwood-Freeman (Eds). Critical Animal and Media Studies. London: Routledge.

Want to see your publication featured? Please reach out to the editor at [email protected] for submissions to the next, Winter newsletter!

6 Organization Hightlight: Caring for Cats, Michigan Organization Highlight

Please join us in participating in a new series highlighting organizations involved in the welfare of animals. The first in our series is Caring for Cats. Caring for Cats is a Michigan-based charity with a 501 (c) 3 status. Their mission is to care for as well as spay and neuter homeless felines in the greater Detroit area. They are a no-kill organization.

The majority of the cats rescued are feral. If they are adoptable, they are taken in and fostered. The rescue also does trap and release for those that are not deemed adoptable, and members ensure that they receive street veterinary care, food and shelter. They care for approximately 30 cats in the Detroit area. Those that are deemed a fit for rehabilitation are fostered in members’ homes. Therefore, there is very little capacity and tremendous need. The organization also takes in surrenders. The largest challenges for the organization, not surprisingly, is the need for funding and volunteer involvement. According to Dr. Andrew Domzalski, Director of Caring for Cats, “You cannot help animals without relationship building. Cooperation from local residents (and animal control) as well as wiliness of those who are able to help in any way be it monetary, offering up room in their homes for fostering, helping with trapping and releasing, feeding and providing adequate shelter for those cats that are living on the streets are all crucial needs. Whenever we come across adoptable cats and kittens, we foster them until we find loving homes for them.”

The organization is provided free veterinary care from one its members who is a veterinarian. In addition, the organization receives assistance from university students.

You can help by volunteering or making tax-deductible donations.

E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://awos.petfinder.com/shelters/caringcats.html Like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Caring-For-Cats-134141686650016/

7 Featured Article: Backsliding: When Vegans Start Eating Meat and Dairy Backsliding: When vegans start eating meat and dairy Authored by Racine Jacques, Jaime Hecht, and Liz Grauerholz For the past few years, we’ve been collecting and analyzing interview data on people who backslide in their consumption of animal-based foods and trying to understand what prompts them to do so. That is, why do vegans start eating dairy or eggs? Why do vegetarians start eating fish? We’ve interviewed 15 “backsliders” and have uncovered some interesting patterns. Here are some highlights from our study. Not surprisingly, sometimes backsliding is the result about the social (in)convenience, combined with busy schedules and empty bellies. Many respondents discussed the lack of (plant-based) options and convenience of fast food. One noted how she “started staying on campus more and having the food options that were available there… going in at 2 am to grab stuff…everything was open, you can get pizza you can get burgers you can get chicken or whatever they had there….” Another said “We would just be like lazy let’s just get taco bell…I was eating whatever I wanted; I just decided it was too hard and didn’t want to put that much effort into it.” Another reason people backslid is to accommodate others (family, friends, co-workers, spouses). One partici- pant described it as “harm reduction” in dealing with her mother—she chose to pick her battles and minimize the damage that her diet and lifestyle imparted on the family. Most didn’t want to draw attention to themselves or be viewed as ‘difficult’ so they ate what was offered or available. Holidays came up often in our conversations. These meat-centric events produced feelings of guilt (e.g., rejecting Grandma’s famous sausage-stuffing) and disconnection from their culture, family and past. It’s easier to give in and keep the peace. Another theme that has emerged is the drawing boundaries. Just what does it mean to be vegan and where does one draw the line? If you adhere to a vegan diet but still have leather seats in your car, can you call yourself a vegan? What if you backslid and consumed dairy or meat once or twice, can you still call yourself vegan? One respondent put it like this: “If you’re going to make the line whether I eat meat at all then I wouldn’t be a vegetarian or if it’s about how often I eat meat. Like if I eat meat 5 times a year am I vegetarian?” Friends and family members don’t make it easy either. One of our respondents said: “They’ll try to trip you up and ask you where your clothes are from or that kind of thing…I get it a lot…that puts a strain on some of my friendships.” We found that the respondents who feel worst about backsliding were those who backslid from vegan to vegetarian or omnivore, probably because they understood the implications of their choices for animals and were most likely to comprehend the nuanced difference between “vegan” vs “veganism.” As one of our respondents remarked, anyone can be vegan for a little while but adhering to veganism, a system of beliefs, requires a lifestyle change. These were the individuals who talked about the need to return to being vegan: “I wake up and I try to be vegan, and I try to be vegan, and then something happens and I’m not…every day I try my hardest…most of the time, it’s vegan.” (The similarities between these sentiments and relapses in addiction recovery is striking.) Though we need to continue to analyze our data and explore these themes further, we offer a few things to consider: • Should/Can we advocate or petition for better plant-based options on our campuses to combat the convenience issue? • Should we relax our language around veganism? For example, when someone says “oh, you’re vegan?” would there be harm in saying, “I try to be” or “I do my best”? That answer isn’t going to make committed vegans go out and eat pieces of a pig and perhaps it would open the door to further conversation. • Family holidays are hard to negotiate, which is why there are so many people blogging about it (Google “how to be vegan at holidays” and you’ll get about 52 million hits). Perhaps this is where our sociological insight into “doing” family could contribute to this conversation and help others learn ways to navigate this rough terrain. 8 Featured Article: Backsliding: When Vegans Start Eating Meat and Dairy

Bios:

Racine Jacques is Lead Analyst at the Lou Frey Institute for Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida where she does research on civics education and community civic engagement. Her past research has focused on environmental attitudes, industrial agriculture, and animals and society.

Jaime Hecht received a BS in sociology from Florida State University and an MA in applied sociology from the University of Central Florida. She is currently the Program Coordinator and T.R.A.I.L.S. managing editor at the American Sociological Association.

Liz Grauerholz is Professor of Sociology at University of Central Florida. Her interests include gender inequality, animals & society, and scholarship of teaching and learning. She teaches a course on Animals & Health, which received the Section’s Clifton Bryant Course Award in 2014. She is also the incoming chair for the ASA Animal and Society Section.

Food for thought

· The primary reasons people “backslide” in their consumption of animal-based foods: (in) convenience, social pressure and desire to accommodate others, and difficulty drawing boundaries and clear definitions.

· Those who feel worst about backsliding were those who backslid from vegan to vegetarian or omnivore, probably because they understood the implications of their choices for farmed animals.

Should/Can we advocate or petition for better plant-based options on our campuses?

9 Social Media Stay up-to-date with animals and society related information! If you haven’t yet, please join our section on Facebook! Here is a sample of the type of stories we share on our page.

From New York Magazine: The Four Ways People Rationalize Eating Meat: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/4-ways-people-rationalize-eating-meat.html

From Green Is The New Red: Exposing Cruelty in Nursing Homes, Factory Farms, Day- cares Now a Crime in North Carolina: http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/north-carolina-ag-gag-override/8388/

From NPR: Why Do We Care About Some Animals More Than Others? http://www.npr.org/2014/08/15/338900449/why-do-we-care-about-some-animals-more-than- others

Join us on Facebook! Like our page at https://www.facebook.com/AnimalsAndSocietyASA/

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