Review Sections Unifying Theory and Praxis to Create a Better World For

Review Sections Unifying Theory and Praxis to Create a Better World For

society & animals 26 (2018) 535-540 brill.com/soan Review Sections ∵ Unifying Theory and Praxis to Create a Better World for All Animals Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen (Eds.), Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth. New York and London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2014. 273 pp. Marti Kheel (2011), one of ecofeminism’s foremothers, noted the potential of ecofeminist theory and praxis to “bring about a world of peace and respect for all living beings.” Within an ecofeminist framework, this is not to be achieved through detached, rational thought and abstract ethical reasoning, but rather, by “deepen[ing] our capacity for empathy for all living beings,” and by “shed- ding light on the root causes of social problems” (Kheel, 2011). In the wake of the tremendous loss of Kheel in 2011, Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen bring us a testament to her legacy and a welcome addition to ecofemi- nist scholarship with their edited volume, Ecofeminism: Feminist Inter sections with Other Animals and the Earth (2014), published through Bloomsbury Aca- demic. Adams is the author of the critically acclaimed The Sexual Politics of Meat (2015) and co-originator of the feminist ethic-of-care in animal ethics, and Gruen has authored the influential Entangled Empathy (2018) and Ethics and Animals: An Introduction (2011). As two pioneers in the field, the editors outline dominant themes in ecofeminist scholarship: Ecofeminist theory helps us to imagine healthier relationships; stresses the need to attend to context over universal judgments; and argues for the importance of care as well as justice, emotion as well as rationality, in working to undo the logic of domination and its material and practical implications. (p. 1) © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi:10.1163/15685306-12341533 536 Review Sections Adams and Gruen assert that this edited volume “deepens these significant insights” (p. 1) and seeks to provide coherence and direction to a broad field. In this timely and thought-provoking collection, Adams and Gruen have assem- bled an interdisciplinary group of ecofeminist scholars and activists, spanning philosophy, sociology, English and literary studies, disability studies, gender and sexuality studies, and political science. This diverse range of intellectual perspectives is united by themes of improving human-animal relationships, a feminist ethic-of-care, the role of emotion in research and ethics, and the context of intersecting oppressions. The book is organized into three major sections: 1) Groundwork, in which the editors outline key foundations, innovations, and controversies in ecofemi- nist theory, including the critique that ecofeminism essentializes gender, re- inforces binaries, and is “concerned with too many things”; 2) Affect, a set of six chapters highlighting the necessary role of emotion, connection, and care in research and in ethical practice; and 3) Context, a set of six chapters explor- ing the messy, constraining context in which efforts at ethical action occur. Greta Gaard concludes the volume with the “Context” section’s final essay, in which she raises the provocative question, “Are there masculinities that could be consistent with ecofeminist praxis?” (p. 225). The editors also include a timeline of key “intersectional, nonviolent activisms that include nonhuman animals” (p. 2), from 1847 to press time. The timeline is helpful in contextual- izing efforts at nonviolence toward humans and non-humans but would also benefit from further inclusion of non-western examples of ecofeminist theory and praxis. Provocative discussions of the role of emotion and connection in research and ethical action abound, as do critiques of the decidedly rational approaches of traditional animal rights philosophers such as Singer, Regan, and Francione. Deane Curtin (1991), who coined the phrase “contextual moral vegetarianism” (p. 68), discusses the role of affect and reason in compassionate action, and Josephine Donovan, a foremother of the feminist care tradition in animal eth- ics, introduces the concept of “participatory epistemology” (p. 77) in her call for the inclusion of emotion and connection in traditional science. pattrice jones, cofounder of VINE Sanctuary, draws from Gramsci (1971) in her call for the rise of “veganic intellectuals” (p. 104) who listen to and articulate animal voices, citing Karen Davis and Lori Gruen as laudable examples. Contributors engage with the question of universalism versus contextual moral vegetarianism (CMV), including critiques of ecofeminists Harding and Plumwood’s justifications for meat-eating and the continuation of ani- mal agriculture. Richard Twine raises the question of whether there is much difference between universal veganism and CMV at all and whether it is society & animals 26 (2018) 535-540.

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