The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-vegetarian Critical Theory by Carol Adams

Vegan feminists have identified the ways in which gender influences the ways in which we commodify and exploit animals, mostly through the sexual exploitation of female animals in animal agriculture. For example, the dairy industry has successfully convinced people that milk comes naturally from female cows, that there is such a thing as a ‘dairy cow,’ and not that the female cow needs to have given birth to a baby in order to produce milk. Feminists have successfully applied a feminist lens to the way we think about animals and oppression. Carol Adams is possibly the most influential, drawing the connections between meat-eating and the patriarchy. Meat-eating celebrates male dominance, Carol examines the ways in which our cultural myths have reinforced this and draws links between violence against women and animals. The book points out that men that become vegetarians or vegans are therefore challenging an essential part of patriarchy and argues that to be a feminist is to be a natural ally to animals and the oppressed. 

“The hierarchy of meat protein reinforces a hierarchy of race, class, and sex”

Title: Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-vegetarian Critical Theory

Author: Carol Adams

ISBN: 978-1501312830

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Carol Adams is an American feminist vegan who focus on intersectional activism and draws connections between domestic violence and animal abuse. She has written a number of influential vegan works, including: Living Among Meat Eaters: A Vegetarian and Vegans Survival Guide.

Abdourahamane Ly, guest curator for Veganuary at Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, has been vegan for the past seven years now. He is extremely passionate about animal rights and encouraging more humans, especially Africans, to go vegan. He was born in Guinea in West Africa but spent the last 13 years in China. He is currently in Rwanda spreading the vegan message. You can follow him on Instagram at @fulanivegan and X at @fulanivegan.