Description:
A philosopher, an ovarian cancer survivor, and an animal rights activist will look at feminist perspectives on the exploitation of animals for food, plant based diets and womens’ health and healing, and why we must avoid sexism in efforts to fight the suffering of farmed animals.
Moderator:
Presenters:
Caryn Hartglass, Founder, Responsible Eating And Living
Lori Gruen, Director, Wesleyan Animal Studies
Doris Lin, Guide to Animal Rights, About.com
Topics:
Ecofeminist philosopher and activist Lori Gruen will examine the ways that the consumption of animals and female animal products harms not just animals but disproportionately harms women and children globally. She will also specifically refute some feminist arguments that advocate what she is calling “loca-carnism”.
Caryn Hartglass: It’s not by chance that I am a survivor of advanced ovarian cancer. I will talk about the role healthy eating and living played in my survival and recovery. People will discover why nutrient-dense foods and meditation are critical to healing and recovery from life-threatening diseases. They will learn about the anti-cancer superfoods that boost the immune system, how to prepare them and incorporate them in their every day diet. Participants will be provided with simple instructions on how to craft one’s own meditation practice.
Doris Lin will look at campaigns that have compared plant-based diets to sexual conquest for men, reinforced idealized mass media images of women’s bodies, and undermined efforts to create solidarity between the animal rights and feminist movements.
Tools, Skills or Messages Participants Will Take Home:
- Participants will develop an understanding of ecofeminism and how feminist ethics of care can be applied to animal issues as an alternative to rationalist approaches to ethical questions.
- Participants will discover why nutrient-dense foods and meditation are critical to healing and recovery from life-threatening diseases. They will learn about the anti-cancer superfoods that boost the immune system, how to prepare them and incorporate them in their every day diet. Participants will be provided with simple instructions on how to craft one’s own meditation practice.
- Participants will be invited to critically consider campaigns that attempt to advocate for farmed animals by using sexualized images of women, rather than recognizing how animals and women are both commodified under patriarchy and challenging both.
-Participants will take home an understanding of why sexualized and misogynistic campaigns are harmful and do nothing to further animal rights.
About the Moderator:
Jasmin Singer is Executive Director of Our Hen House (and podcast co-host), writer for VegNews Magazine, and host for VegNews TV. Previously, Jasmin was Farm Sanctuary’s campaigns manager and actor-educator with AIDS-awareness theater company Nitestar.
About the Presenters:
Caryn Hartglass is the founder of Responsible Eating And Living (REAL), a nonprofit that promotes plant-based foods and planet-friendly products. She currently hosts the weekly It’s All About Food show on the Progressive Radio Network.
Lori Gruen is the author of Ethics and Animals: An Introduction (Cambridge: 2011). She is Professor of Philosophy, Environmental Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University.
Doris Lin, Esq. is the Guide to Animal Rights for About.com and Director of Legal Services for the Animal Protection League of NJ. You can find her at @aboutAnimalRts or @DorisLin or http://animalrights.about.com.