Recovering a black American tradition of animal advocacy
This thesis examines multiple understandings of animals and their oppression, foregrounding black-authored sources to recover a black American tradition of animal advocacy. It explores the complexities of advocating for animals when black women and men, from the mid-nineteenth century through to the early twenty-first century, fought for their own survival in the Abolitionist movement, through Black Feminist activism, and in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Ideas communicated by black Americans that encouraged empathy and respect towards animals, and challenged their use and abuse by humans, are placed into conversation with secondary Black Feminist and Critical Animal Studies literature. Demonstrating that black Americans shaped the thinking as well as the doing of animal advocacy, this thesis contends that the documenting of ideas was activism as much as attending protests or hosting fund-raising benefits. This thesis identifies four themes to showcase how black Americans understood animals, in changing political contexts. It discusses how black writers used animalising language to condemn whiteness and the institution of slavery, how they frequently described animals using anthropomorphism, to
McCarthy, Lauren May
Recovering a black American tradition of animal advocacy. This thesis examines multiple understandings of animals and their oppression, foregrounding black-authored sources to recover a black American tradition of animal advocacy. It explores the complexities of advocating for animals when black women and men, from the mid-nineteenth century through to the early twenty-first century, fought for their own survival in the Abolitionist movement, through Black Feminist activism, and in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Ideas communicated by black Americans that encouraged empathy and respect towards animals, and challenged their use and abuse by humans, are placed into conversation with secondary Black Feminist and Critical Animal Studies literature. Demonstrating that black Americans shaped the thinking as well as the doing of animal advocacy, this thesis contends that the documenting of ideas was activism as much as attending protests or hosting fund-raising benefits. This thesis identifies four themes to showcase how black Americans understood animals, in changing political contexts. It discusses how black writers used animalising language to condemn whiteness and the institution of slavery, how they frequently described animals using anthropomorphism, to
black american tradition animal advocacy examines multiple understandings animal oppression foreground black authored source recover black american tradition animal advocacy explores_complexity advocate animal black woman_men fought survival abolitionist movement black feminist activism civil rights black power movement ideas communicate black americans encourage empathy respect towards animal challenge use_abuse human place conversation secondary black feminist critical animal studies literature black americans shape think well animal advocacy contend document idea activism much attend protest host fund_raising benefit identifies four_theme showcase black americans understood animal change political_context discus black writer use language condemn institution slavery frequently describe animal use