I figure after five years of eating vegans, wait, sorry – eating vegan, and having some sort of personal opin-ion on the animal rights/ethical eating issue, it was time to take a trip down the animal studies rabbit hole. This landed me in Buffalo, New York in an early March weekend to participate in the North American Con-ference for Critical Animal Studies organized by ICAS. Much to my chagrin, there were no tea parties, psyche-delic cats, or overly aggres-sive queens. There were however, a group of 70+ primarily white, middle class graduate students and professors, most of whom were extremely well edu-cated (and spoken) in re-gards to their subject mate-rial: animal studies. It is true that I found myself leaning in to listen attentively enough in order to break down the etymology of their PhD level words so I
could make sense of things. We are all, after all, still learning. The Buffalo Metro Rail dropped me off at Canisius College on a cloudy winter Buffalo morning. Having missed the opening night of the conference, I was deter-mined to get my foot in the door and start writing furiously the notes that I would use to further my understanding of my own reasons for eating vegan and such. What I would soon find out is that most of the attendees to
the conference were also speak-ers. With over 80 guests, 60 of them being speakers from all over the world, it felt a little like the first day of school, and the only reason I was there was because
they needed X amount of us. Regardless, it was exciting to discover new insights – it being my first time in an ac-tual school in years.
The lectures, when I could un-
derstand them, where amaz-
ing. The ideas alone could
and will open people’s eyes to
so much of the world they
inhabit, and yet cannot see.
Some examples from Day 1
include:
The movement from socio-political and cultural “tolerance” to “acceptance,” is short-sighted, contextual, and ultimately
Continued next page
CELEBRATING 11 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Break Dancing in Buffalo: The 2012 North American Critical Animal Studies
Conference, Chris Christou, FoodFightTo.Com
Critical Animal Muse
Volume 2 Issue 2 Summer 2012
Chris Christou, center
inadequate. After all,
who is accepting
who?
Challenging the Oc-cupy movement to be
inclusive – acknowl-
edge the white male
dominance within the
movement, and
broaden it to include
all genders of all back-
grounds with respect
to animal rights and
inclusivity.
How film and litera-
ture reproduce stan-
dardized self-images:
American Psycho as a rep-
resentation of men re-
establishing hegemonic
power through violence
to animals (i.e. taking the
life of an animal because
taking a human’s is not
viable).
The Matrix as an allegory
for factory farms; the
question becomes, who is
farmed?
Zoosemiotics: the
study of animal lan-
guages.
Do movements, upon
reaching a certain
mainstream status or
following, become ille-
gitimate or co-opted
P A G E 2 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
11th Annual North American Conference , con’t .
Time to pay your annual
dues? Only $20.00 per
year, $22.00 if using Pay-
Pal (to cover surcharge)
Simply go to this web site:
.http://www.criticalanim
alstudies.org/donate/
from their original inten-
tion (via advertising, ce-
lebrity endorsements,
etc)?
Humans tend to assem-
ble nonhuman species
into a single overarch-
ing group: animals.
The type of activism
that these people spoke
of was the kind that
lived in ideas and is fer-
mented in praxis, not
the kind that was forced
from reactionary im-
pulses into violence or
even marching or mak-
ing demands.
At the end of the day,
my couch surfing buddy
bailed on me, but I was
lucky enough to score a
couch at one of the local
organizer’s houses. Be-
fore that though, I had
to tag along with these
new found strangers for
the night. I was really
hoping to break in to
some local butcher’s and
commit a crime, but it
turned out their ideas of
fun was more of a 21st
century Brady Bunch
kind of vibe. Who knew?
We ate at probably the most
value-for-taste veggie diner
EVER (Amy’s Place), followed
by a nostalgic, freezing walk
to the American Niagara Falls,
which I
hadn’t seen since I was a kid.
Although they might not
look that intense at night, the
sheer magnitude of their pres-
ence was induced once more,
just as it was when I was a
child. At this point in the eve-
ning, I should have known the
stars were aligning.
Continued next pag
what I could only imagine
was Lil Jon (but I’m probably
way off on that). The original
It’s Like That dancers wouldn’t
even touch this! Un-Be-Liev-
Able.
When I
woke up the next
day I couldn’t de-
cide what I
wanted more – to
relive the previous
night’s hijinx, or
to thrust my brain
into the knowl-
edge of the fol-
lowing day’s lec-
tures. Day 2’s lec-
tures were just as
good, and better
comprehended
than the previous
day’s, especially
after getting some
rest. Throughout the day I
realized that ‘Critical Animal
Studies’ was not just an iso-
lated subject of animal rights
for vegans, but expanded be-
yond all stereotypes to include
all of the post-modern (and
post-human) perspectives.
Here are some examples:
Animal life/suffering
almost always refers to
the whole, never focus-
Next, we were whisked off to
Buffalo’s only lesbian bar, Roxy’s.
Despite the unnatural awkwardness
of strangers coming together on a
dance floor, it quickly became a rau-
cous Saturday night in Buffalo as a
sleeveless, argyle vest-wearing con-
ference organizer and an Australian
animal rights speaker began to tear
up the dance floor. Without any li-
bations, the rest of the group joined
in with the kind of moves that
would put any b-boy to shame. Seri-
ously: I stood there with my mouth
gaping, lips stretched ecstatically
from cheek to cheek. Witnessing Mr
Argyle busting an insane move, a
local lady looking almost angry and
intent on confrontation, jumped in.
(Buffalo: rePRAzent!) What followed
was at least two songs worth of the
most dirty, grimy, and amazing
dance battle royale I’ve ever seen.
The entire dance floor was empty,
except for those two. It was enough
to make RUN D.M.C and Jason
Nevins green-eyed.
As if Buffalo of all places couldn’t
get any better, ten to twelve local
ladies essentially hip-checked their
way onto the dance floor to get
down! I stood there, dumbfounded,
realizing that I was having one of
the most fun nights I have ever ex-
perienced sober. They broke into a
modified electric slide, dancing to
ing on the individual
experiences of ani-
mals.
As long as animals are
considered property,
they will suffer or be
oppressed.
Animals intentionally
resist suffering, and
thus impart agency
within their own so-
cial movement.
Buddhist traditions
follow non-duality –
all beings intimately
share each other’s suf-
fering.
Continued, p. 7
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2
Conference, continued from p. 1
P A G E 4 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
On April 13, 2012, Anthony Nocella II, Kim Socha and local Minneapolis activist
Travis Erickson presented for Normandale Community College's colloquium series.
The title was "The End of Speciesism, Capitalism and Environmental Destruction:
An Introduction to Critical Animal Studies." The event was well attended by a gal-
vanized audience with many follow up questions
This presentation, sponsored by the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, made the
argument that Western culture, still in the midst of the Occupy Wall Street Move-
ment, needs to reassess its hierarchy of rights and freedoms in consideration of the
nonhuman animals we eat, wear, hunt and with whom we share our homes and
lives. In kind, the presenters introduced the audience to Critical Animal Studies,
which looks at the ways in which speciesism underpins human oppression, capital-
ism and environmental destruction and how all of those elements intertwine to
create a culture that is based upon the exploitation of other living beings. We also
shared alternatives based in anarchist principles.
ICAS Board Members Speak at Colloquium Series
"
Kim Socha recently received tenure in Normandale Commu-nity College’s Department of English. Excellent news, Kim.
P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
ICAS IS PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR OF THE OPEN THE CAGES TOUR 2012
History of Open the Cages:
For the past year or so a few of us have been exercising the idea of organizing a tour that was a collaborative effort between artists, filmmakers, activists and musicians all united under the banner of Animal Liberation. Taking lessons from the Total Liberation and the Primate Free-dom Tours, and as the opportunity arose, we started work on what is now called the Open the Cages Tour. Essentially what we wanted to accomplish was a traveling Animal Liberation fest, including the first U.S. screenings of Maximum Tolerated Dose, and performances by bands and musicians who carry an animal rights message. In between events also participating in demonstrations and protests when the opportunities arise. A massive amount of time, energy and creativity went into the production of this tour, and there is still a lot more effort needed on our part to make it happen.
Vivisection is one of the most grotesque and unnecessary forms of animal abuse and exploita-tion in the world today. We planned this tour to not only educate people about the fraudulent scientific research and billions of taxpayer dollars that are invested in dead-end animal trials, but also to visit every major city on the west coast that has a university or company that partici-pates in animal testing. Hoping to reignite the anti-vivisection campaigns in the cities we’ll be passing through, we also aim to make connections with like minded individuals who are inter-ested in shutting down any and all companies that profit off of the suffering of other living, sentient creatures. The suffering that beagle puppies, primates, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals endure in these laboratories are not only a massive waste of life, but a waste of human knowledge as well.
Towards the abolition of ALL animal testing and exploitation. We will not be intimidated, we will not back down and we will NEVER compromise in defense of animals!
-The OTC team
http://openthecagestour.com/
“MAXIMUM TOLERATED DOSE”—Coming Soon
Maximum Tolerated Dose is the first feature-length documentary by Decipher Films. The film charts the lives of both humans and non-humans who have experienced animal testing first-hand, with hauntingly honest testimony of scientists and lab technicians whose ethics demanded they choose a different path, as well as the simultaneously heartwarming and heart-breaking stories of animals who have seen both sides of the cage. MTD aims to re-ignite the de-bate about animal testing by bringing these rarely-heard perspectives to the fore.
Trailer III for MTD focuses on one thread in the film and tells the story of Jerom (aka Chimp C-499), one of the first chimps to ever develop AIDS from being intentionally infected with human HIV. The story is told by Rachel Weiss, one of the lab technicians who worked with Jerom until his death on February 13th, 1996, and who subsequently stopped participating in animal experi-mentation and went on to form the Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group (http://lpag.org).
Directed by — Karol Orzechowski
Produced by — Jonathan Hodgson, Jennifer Bundock, Karol Orzechowski
Additional Filming by — Jo-Anne McArthur, Guna Subramaniam
With Footage Contributions from — The BUAV
Music by — Wyrd Visions and Bryan W. Bray
P A G E 6
P A G E 7 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
Food Apartheid / Food Deserts
Language is constantly manipulated to abstract animal products from
their source, both in retail, wholesale, production, and transportation.
USA is 1 of 2 remaining countries to still experiment on chimpanzees
Country music culture explicitly roots itself in animal cruelty (cowboys/
rodeo culture/barns)
Following the “Spirituality and Religion” panel, I decided to ask a simple
question, in the hopes of receiving a simple answer. I asked: “What place does
(non-denominational, non-dogmatic) spirituality, have in the future of critical
animal studies.” My assumption was that many of the roots of the subject mat-
ter are based in spirituality, or simply empathy and emotional intelligence and
so I assumed answers would be flying out the whazoo! Alas, just silence. Fi-
nally, one of the speakers pointed, briefly to some of the understandings of
aboriginal cultures in their connection to the biosphere. Another speaker fol-
lowed by connecting religion to the question, and then, more silence. I was
afraid that the full academization of animal studies had rendered such possibili-
ties illegitimate or even impossible! At certain points, I had a hard time seeing
through the rough underbrush of academic language which felt class-based,
as it so often can. It was difficult at times to identify where people’s hearts were
in their arguments, or if they were there at all, relegated by the academic
model to forever being a mere consideration of the left-brain.
I suppose the only thing I left the conference without an answer for was
this question of spirituality. It seems that most of the attendees identified with
critical animal studies not just because of a repugnance for suffering and thus
a devotion for life, but as well as for a need to understand our place, purpose,
and responsibility on this planet. It is true that the orthodoxy of academia with-
draws itself from emotion and feeling, constantly fixated on logic and reason. I
just hope that in trying to “legitimize” itself as a player in the academic world,
critical animal studies does not abandon or forget its inception. Ultimately, it
was the dynamic and caring spirit of the break dancing activist-academics that
could not lead me anywhere else, but to the knowledge that they will and are
transforming the subject matter, academia itself, and the world, because as
much as the world needs ingenious arguments, it needs love and action more.
Conference, continued from p. 3
ICAS Roundtable at Minding Animals 2 Conference
Tuesday July 3rd 1430-1730, Utrecht, The Nether-
lands.
Satellite event of Minding Animals 2 Conference.
This event is FREE and attendance at Minding
Animals is not a pre-requisite. However please
register for the event by sending an e-mail to
[email protected] because space is lim-
ited. There will be a CFP for this event, for short
papers/discussion pieces issued shortly.
Minding Animals will send you the address of the
roundtable once you have registered.
https://www.facebook.com/
events/389332884422452/
P A G E 8 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
How many meat eaters does it take to change a light bulb?
None, they would rather stay in the dark about things.
P A G E 9 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
News from Vasile Stanescu
Vasile presented his paper, "Crocodile Tears: Compassionate Carnivores and Rise of Happy Meat” at the The Conscious Eating Conference at U.C. Berkeley on February 18, 2012. Vasile also introduced and moder-ated a presentation by Professor Cary Wolfe entitled Before the Law: Ani-mals and Biopolitical Thought on Jan 30th 2012. This conversation was co-organized by Professor Ursula Heise, Dr. Sandra Koelle, and Justin Ei-chenlaub and was hosted by the En-vironmental Humanities Workshop at Stanford University. Professor Mat-thew Calarco was kind enough to sever as the respondent for both this presentation and discussion .
Look for the ICAS Table at the Animal Rights
National Conference, Washington D.C.
P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
Blog in the spotlight: foodfightto
What is FoodFight.TO ? C h r i s C h r i s t o u
FoodFight is a concept that has been kicking around for a few years now, but has also, in other realms, been waiting patiently for the moment – the moment when the fruit of the tree of knowledge grows deep within our hearts, and is no longer picked as a com-modity of our consumption.
FoodFight is an opportunity to bridge our most forgotten and most treasured intuitions. It is an opportunity to come together and contribute to the unfolding of the present. It is an opportunity to remove our perceptions from the limited worldviews of our own lives and to broaden the spectrum in order to see and understand what everybody has on their plates.
Foodfight is an online magazine/blog dedicated to bringing forth radically new (as well as old) ideas, resources, as well as community in a way that perhaps has never been done before. The ideas, resources, and community are made up of friends and strangers – they include but are never limited to the gastronomical philosopher, food ser-vice/hospitality workers, restaurant/hotel guests, foodies, anti-foodies, farmers, consum-ers, and especially creators.
Food is something that ties our entire planet together, whether human or non-human. From the TV dinner to the light a plant takes in, each and every species on this planet recognizes, at least by its mere existence, that food is life/survival. It seems for much too long, or perhaps not that long at all, that we humans have forgotten the sanctity of our daily bread. Whether it be human awareness or the machine becoming too outdated, there is a movement happening which seeks to understand what we have lost or ig-nored about our most humbling resource, how beautiful that communion can be, and what we can do to ignite that spark in others.
FoodFight is an opportunity to bring people together, in a sort of friendly, yet humbling conversation to not only understand how we got to where we are today in regards to “food,” and how we are moving this vehicle, both human and planetary, into the future.
P A G E 1 1 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
Highlights from the May 2012 ICAS
Board of Director’s Meeting
Kim Socha will create a document outlining the duties and responsibilities of
our interns.
Four Critical Animal Studies Workshops will be offered at various times during
the year: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Capstone
ICAS will sponsor the Open the Cages Tour/Maximum Tolerated Dose show-
ings as requested by Dylan Powell
Kim Socha was given approval to purchase a table at the Annual Anarchist
Bookfair
Board members discussed restructuring membership and membership fees
Vasile Stanescu reported that 5 books are pending in our book series
Helena Pedersen and Vasile Stanescu will speak at the Minding Animals Con-
ference
Vassar students remain in contact with ICAS about hosting a conference
Carolyn Drew continues to lay the ground work for an Oceania ICAS Confer-
ence
Richard Twine reported that 3 more issues of The Journal for Critical Animal
Studies will be published this year
We need to find someone, possibly an intern, to upload back issues of JCAS
to our website
P A G E 1 2 C R I T I C A L A N I M A L M U S E
Sarah Bezan is a contract faculty member of The University of Winnipeg’s Depart-ment of English, specializing in critical animal studies, waste aesthetics, and women’s writing. She is also a contributor to the Journal for Critical Animal Studies and Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism. An incoming Ph.D. student at The Uni-versity of Alberta, Sarah’s SSHRC-funded doctoral dissertation, entitled “Post-mortem Postmodernism(s): Dissecting the Corpse and Carcass in Contemporary Lit-erature and Culture,” will examine the interconnections between foundational and emerging conceptions of human and non-human death as represented in post-modern literature, film, and visual media.
Brittany Hanavan is originally from Wilton, Connecticut. As a rising senior at Hollins University in Virginia, she is majoring in Environmental Studies with a double minor in Biology and Political Science. Some of the activities she is involved with in on campus include being a member of the varsity basketball team, a recycling coordi-nator, club Co-Chairs of Students for Environmental Action and the Wilderness Ad-venture Club, and an active member of Arts Association and the Global Interest As-sociation. Additionally, she enjoy playing the steel pan and African mallet, reading, hiking, sailing, baking, and learning about animals.
Nicholas Silcox is a Peace and Justice major and Gender and Women studies and
Africana and African American Studies minors at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania.
As Ursinus, he is President and founder of the Animal Advocacy Coalition, President
of WeCAN, a social justice and activism group, and Vice President of the Gender
and Sexuality Alliance. He is interested in the intersectionality of academia and ac-
tivism and hopes to enter a sociology Ph.D. program to continue to be an effective
and relevant activist throughout his life.
2012 ICAS Interns:
P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
Susan Thomas is Director, Gender and Women’s Studies,
Associate Professor, Gender and Women’s Studies, and
Political Science, Hollins University. She is a member of
the Editorial Collective, Journal for Critical Animal Stud-ies, President of The Institute for Critical Animal Studies,
and editor of Critical Animal Muse.
Sue Coe
to not only understand how we got to where we are today in regards to “food,” and how we are moving this vehicle, both human and planetary, into the future.
What is FoodFight.TO ?
much of the world they inhabit, and yet cannot see. Some examples from Day 1 include:
The movement from socio-political and cultural “tolerance” to “acceptance,” is short-sighted,
contextual, and ultimately