“Vegan Geographies: Spaces Beyond Violence, Ethics Beyond Speciesism,” Part 1 of 2

“Vegan Geographies: Spaces Beyond Violence, Ethics Beyond Speciesism” presents a diverse range of perspectives from international scholars that emphasize the valuable contributions geographers can make to our comprehension of veganism and its practical applications, or “praxes.” With 14 chapters, it was compiled and edited by five scholar-activists who identify with veganism – Drs. Paul Hodge, Andrew McGregor, Simon Springer, Ophelie Veron, and Richard White (all vegans).

Today, we are honored to invite one of the editors of “Vegan Geographies,” Dr. Richard White, a reader in human geography in the Department of Natural and Built Environment at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. “It’s really trying to encourage thought and reflection around the question of how we ethically treat other animals and the question of justice in the context of geography.” “That imperative to do something, particularly in this time of prolonged and repeated crisis, is so important. We shouldn’t leave it to others to make decisions on our behalf or engage in this politics of waiting. And in that sense, my idea, or ideal, is that veganism can be a very powerful, revolutionary, and transformative impact in so many ways and so many different levels.” “And from a geography point of view, if you’ve encouraged the students to think about what would happen if we placed dogs and cats in these spaces, they would be horrified at the implications of that. It’s how we might think about some of these very positive and loving relationships and how we can extend these spheres of care and compassion that we give to domestic animals to all animals, in theory.” “And I think as well, the other important point about human exceptionalism was to really begin to see, not differences between some of the spaces of violence and exploitation that humans experience, and to see those as somehow discrete and separate from what other animals might experience.” Dr. White speaks about the importance of creating a more inclusive and intersectional animal-people rights movement that addresses issues of race, gender, and class.