CELEBRATING 11 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
al Critical Anim
Muse Volume 2 Issue 2 Summer 2012
Break Dancing in Buffalo: The 2012 North American Critical Animal Studies Conference, Chris Christou, FoodFightTo.Com
I figure after five years of eating vegans, wait, sorry – eating vegan, and having some sort of personal opinion 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 Conference for Critical Animal Studies organized by ICAS. Much to my chagrin, there were no tea parties, psychedelic cats, or overly aggressive queens. There were however, a group of 70+ primarily white, middle class graduate students and professors, most of whom were extremely well educated (and spoken) in regards to their subject material: 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 determined 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
they needed X amount of us. Regardless, it was exciting to discover new insights – it being my first time in an actual school in years. The lectures, when I could understand them, where amazing. 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 sociopolitical and cultural “tolerance” to “acceptance,” is shortsighted, contextual, and ultimately Continued next page
the conference were also speakers. 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
Chris Christou, center
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11th Annual North American Conference ,
inadequate. After all, who is accepting who?
Challenging the Occupy movement to be inclusive – acknowledge the white male dominance within the movement, and broaden it to include all genders of all backgrounds with respect to animal rights and inclusivity.
How film and literature reproduce standardized self-images:
American Psycho as a representation of men reestablishing 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 languages.
Do movements, upon reaching a certain mainstream status or following, become illegitimate or co-opted
from their original intention (via advertising, celebrity endorsements, etc)? Humans tend to assemble nonhuman species into a single overarching group: animals. The type of activism that these people spoke of was the kind that lived in ideas and is fermented in praxis, not the kind that was forced from reactionary impulses into violence or even marching or making 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. Before 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?
con’t.
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 presence was induced once more, just as it was when I was a child. At this point in the evening, I should have known the stars were aligning. Continued next pag
Time to pay your annual dues? Only $20.00 per year, $22.00 if using PayPal (to cover surcharge) Simply go to this web site: .http://www.criticalanim
alstudies.org/donate/
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Conference, continued from p. 1 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 raucous Saturday night in Buffalo as a sleeveless, argyle vest-wearing conference organizer and an Australian animal rights speaker began to tear up the dance floor. Without any libations, the rest of the group joined in with the kind of moves that would put any b-boy to shame. Seriously: 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 experienced sober. They broke into a modified electric slide, dancing to
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-LievAble. When I woke up the next day I couldn’t decide what I wanted more – to relive the previous night’s hijinx, or to thrust my brain into the knowledge of the following day’s lectures. Day 2’s lectures 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 isolated subject of animal rights for vegans, but expanded beyond 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-
ing on the individual experiences of animals.
As long as animals are considered property, they will suffer or be oppressed.
Animals intentionally resist suffering, and thus impart agency
within their own social movement.
Buddhist traditions follow non-duality – all beings intimately share each other’s suffering.
Continued, p. 7
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ICAS Board Members Speak at Colloquium Series
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 galvanized 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 Movement, 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, capitalism 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.
"
Kim Socha recently received tenure in Normandale Community College’s Department of English. Excellent news, Kim.
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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 Freedom 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 exploitation 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 participates 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 interested 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/
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“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 heartbreaking stories of animals who have seen both sides of the cage. MTD aims to re-ignite the debate 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 C499), 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 experimentation 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
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Conference, continued from p. 3
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 matter are based in spirituality, or simply empathy and emotional intelligence and so I assumed answers would be flying out the whazoo! Alas, just silence. Finally, one of the speakers pointed, briefly to some of the understandings of aboriginal cultures in their connection to the biosphere. Another speaker followed by connecting religion to the question, and then, more silence. I was afraid that the full academization of animal studies had rendered such possibilities 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 withdraws 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.
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ICAS Roundtable at Minding Animals 2 Conference Tuesday July 3rd 1430-1730, Utrecht, The Netherlands. 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 mindinganimals@gmail.com because space is limited. 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/
How many meat eaters do es it take to change a light bulb? None, they would rather sta y in the dark about things.
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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 moderated a presentation by Professor Cary Wolfe entitled Before the Law: Animals and Biopolitical Thought on Jan 30th 2012. This conversation was coorganized by Professor Ursula Heise, Dr. Sandra Koelle, and Justin Eichenlaub and was hosted by the Environmental Humanities Workshop at Stanford University. Professor Matthew 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.
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Blog in the spotlight: foodfight to What is FoodFight.TO ?
Chris Christou
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 commodity 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 service/hospitality workers, restaurant/hotel guests, foodies, anti-foodies, farmers, consumers, 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 ignored 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.
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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 showings 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 Conference
Vassar students remain in contact with ICAS about hosting a conference
Carolyn Drew continues to lay the ground work for an Oceania ICAS Conference
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
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2012 ICAS Interns:
Sarah Bezan is a contract faculty member of The University of Winnipeg’s Department 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 University of Alberta, Sarah’s SSHRC-funded doctoral dissertation, entitled “Postmortem Postmodernism(s): Dissecting the Corpse and Carcass in Contemporary Literature and Culture,” will examine the interconnections between foundational and emerging conceptions of human and non-human death as represented in postmodern 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 coordinator, club Co-Chairs of Students for Environmental Action and the Wilderness Adventure Club, and an active member of Arts Association and the Global Interest Association. 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 activism and hopes to enter a sociology Ph.D. program to continue to be an effective and relevant activist throughout his life.
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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 Studies, 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