Defending Animals, Disappointing People

Karen Emmerman’s relational vegan ecofeminism challenges readers to attend to the complex relationships in their lives, and find ways to do so across and through deep differences. Recognizing that in contemporary capitalistic societies all vegans face compromises in their daily lives, Emmerman insightfully examines several examples where conscious (but limited) compromise might both honor one’s vegan values and enrich supporting relationships with others who do not share those values. Her discussions of whether to eat her grandmother’s chicken soup and whether to allow her vegan child to attend a class trip to the zoo are thoughtful and challenging. Through these discussions she provides readers with an important reassessment of dominant moral theories, makes a case for an ecofeminist approach, and arrives at a more nuanced notion of veganism. She writes, “focus less on veganism as ‘purity’ and more on context and relationships.” Emmerman’s approach is rooted in context, understanding particulars, responding to need, and offering loving attention. She acknowledges this work is hard, sometimes impossible. However, finding ways to honor the vegan commitments of caring and kindness in the face of such real lived struggles goes a long way “towards living with integrity with respect to our love of both the animals with whom we share this Earth and the humans with whom we share our lives.” * Erin McKenna, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oregon, USA *
How do vegans balance their ethical commitment to animals with the morally problematic rituals they sometimes encounter among loved ones and neighbors? In Defending Animals, Disappointing People, Karen Emmerman provides a roadmap for navigating this struggle, demonstrating how vegans and the people they hold dear may work toward a reality in which no one’s values are compromised. In a world fraught with more conflicts than apparent solutions, Dr. Emmerman’s groundbreaking book is a balm for ethical vegans who are torn between respecting family traditions and being true to themselves. * Mark Hawthorne, author of A Vegan Ethic: Embracing a Life of Compassion Toward All (2016) *
Sometimes it is easier to become a vegan than to be one. This richly insightful, sensitively written, robustly argued book explains why. In this, it becomes a marvellous and engrossing introduction to ecofeminist thought, to the ethics of care, and to the resonant ecofeminist critiques of traditional ethical approaches to animals’ lives and needs. Karen Emmerman’s book - clear, compassionate, urgent - illustrates the value of kindness in both its writing and its argument, offering an invitation and a guide to interspecies caring. * Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat (Bloomsbury, 1990) and Living Among Meat Eaters (Bloomsbury,2022) *
Karen Emmerman’s Defending Animals, Disappointing People is an important work examining the tension that results when vegans and their loved ones do not respect and understand one another’s values and points of view. Wherever you are on your vegan journey—or if there is a vegan who is close to you—you’ll find this book to be an invaluable resource. * Lauren Ornelas, Founder, Food Empowerment Project *

Karen S. Emmerman is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Washington, USA.

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