Dr. Richard J White

Forthcoming Event: SHU 12th April 2011, 5.30-6.30pm

richjw — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:51:07 +0000

Sheffield Hallam University
Guest Lecture
Tuesday 12th April 2011
Dr Les Mitchell, PhD

“Moral Disengagement and Support for Nonhuman Animal Farming”

City Campus, OWEN 223

5.30pm – 6.30pm

About the lecture

This is the Abstract taken from Les’s recent paper of the same title.

Nonhuman animal farming, by its fundamental nature, involves a greater or lesser degree of ill treatment and oppression. Definitions of abuse or cruelty in relation to nonhumans, however, are inconsistent and ambiguous. People support nonhuman farming by purchasing its products, but the majority of people do not themselves mistreat nonhumans. How can this incongruity be explained? Any account is likely to be complex, but work in experimental psychology has identified a number of conditions that can contribute toward individuals becoming morally disengaged from abusive acts. This paper shows that a number of these conditions are embedded in the nonhuman animal farming industry, thus providing some insight into why consumers may be disconnected from the mass abuse carried out by an industry they support. Recognizing this process can help advocates for nonhumans take steps to counter this disengagement and so allow consumers to examine their ethical choices more clearly.

Link to full article: Animals & Society 19 (2011) 38-58

About Les Mitchell

Les Mitchell is the Director of the Hunterstoun Centre at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, an advisor for the Journal of Animal Ethics and on the Advisory Board of the Palgrave Macmillan series on Animal Ethics. His research interests are critical realism, non-human animals, discourses, power in society, genocide, moral disengagement, and alternatives to violence.

Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Volume VIII, Issue I/II (2010) just published

richjw — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:54:23 +0000

To read the contents of this open-access, free-to-view journal,please click HERE

ISSN: 1948-352X

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE I/II (2010)

Full Issue

Editorial Board, Table of Contents, and Editorial
Richard J. White, Chief Editor
Pgs. 1- 7

ESSAYS

“Green” Eggs and Ham? The Myth of Sustainable Meat and the Danger of the Local
Vasile Stănescu
Pgs. 8-32

My Pet Needs Philosophy: Ambiguity, Capabilities and the Welfare of Domestic Dogs
Heather Hillsburg
Pgs. 33-46

From Marginal Cases to Linked Oppressions: Reframing the Conflict between the Autistic Pride and Animal Rights Movements
Daniel Salomon
Pgs. 47-72

EXTENDED ESSAYS

The Love Whose Name Cannot be Spoken: Queering the Human-Animal Bond
Carmen Dell’Aversano
Pgs. 73-125

Animal Absolutes: Liberation Sociology’s Missing Links - Part II of II essays on animals and normative sociology
David Sztybel
Pgs. 126-175

COMMENTARY

Abolition a Multi-Tactical Movement Strategy
Anthony J. Nocella, II
Pgs. 176-183

Healing Our Cuts
Anthony J Nocella, II
Pgs. 184-187

PROTEST SUMMARY

! For the abolition of the bullfight, the people took the streets ¡
Center of Abolitionist Studies for Animal Liberation
Pgs. 188-191

INTERVIEWS

Interview with Anthony J. Nocella, II on Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic Industrial Complex (co-edited with Steven Best and Peter McLaren, AK Press, 2010)
Richard J White
Pgs. 192-198

Interview with animal liberation activist and former political prisoner Peter Young
Laura Shields
Pgs. 199-203

Interview with author, anarchist and feminist Abbey Willis
Laura Shields
Pgs. 204-208

CONFERENCES

9th Annual Conference for Critical Animal Studies, SUNY Cortland, New York
Sarat Colling
Pgs. 209-211

1st Annual European Conference for Critical Animal Studies, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Jessica Groling
Pgs. 212-215

BOOK REVIEWS

Animal Encounters by Tom Tyler, Manuela Rossini, and Manuela S. Rossini (2009)
Reviewed by Amy L. Fletcher
Pgs. 216-221

Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look At The Modern Poultry Industry by Karen Davis (2009)
Reviewed by Dylan Ravenfox
Pgs. 222-225

FILM REVIEWS

The Cove (2009)
Reviewed by Laura Shields
Pgs. 226-230

Disgrace (2008)
Reviewed by Jacqueline Dalziell
Pgs. 231-240

1st European Conference For Critical Animal Studies, Liverpool, April 23rd, 2010

richjw — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:30:09 +0000

The inaugural European CAS conference took place in Liverpool last week. The speakers included: Alistair Currie (PETA); Professor Celia Deane-Drummond (Chester and CAFOD); Jasmijn de Boo (Animals Count); Professor Robert Garner (Leicester); Dr Simon James (Durham); Dr Dan Lyons (Uncaged Campaigns); Dr Karen Morgan (Cardiff); Dr Anat Pick (UEL); Dr Richard Twine (Lancaster) and myself. For full speaker information and programme click here.

The event was organised by Prof. Stephen Clark.

The conference harnessed an extremely interesting range of speakers and critical topics which provided much needed insight and awareness. Beyond the content, it was really good to finally get to meet some individuals who I had long known about by reputation and influence in the animal rights literature and advocacy movements.

My talk at the end of the conference: Some thoughts on Building Alliances between Academic and Activist Communities: a focus on Sheffield appeared to be well received, and prompted some interesting questions and further discussion afterwards.

Key areas of the presentation that I drew on were on particularly inspired by conversations with Dan Lyons of Uncaged, Bob McKay (Sheffield University) and Olly, Donna and Johnny from Sheffield Animal Friends: I owe a large debt of gratitude to them for the time and energy they gave!

De-Growth Conference, Barcelona, 26-29 March 2010

richjw — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:34:33 +0000

From Friday 26 to Monday 29 March 2010 the Second International Degrowth Conference took place at the historic building of ‘Universidad de Barcelona’. 500 scientists, civil society members and practionners from more than 40 countries attended the conference.

More than 300 participants took part in working groups for degrowth political proposals and research. Stirring papers are available online in each working group section.

On the Sunday morning, I presented a paper at the Managing degrowth: Employment, Security and the Economy under a Degrowth trajectory session. The slides from this talk : TRANSCENDING THE DEPICTION OF MARKET AND NON-MARKET LABOUR PRACTICES, EXPLORING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR DE-GROWTH and those given by other key speakers can be found here.

Around 80 posters were presented. The poster tour is now online! There are also video-interviews with different speakers recorded during the conference.

For more information about Degrowth and the conference please click here: http://www.degrowth.eu/v1/index.php?id=aboutthisconference

Change.org: Focusing on the intersectionality between species

richjw — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:13:23 +0000

Change. org: An excellent website which promotes many arguments, resources and additional links on Animal Rights, Homelessness, Women’s Rights, Global Warming, Human Trafficking and Health Care and, in doing so, focuses much needed attention on the intersectionalities that exist between humans and other animals.

Hopefully this will encourage more intelligent (deeper) thinking among detractors who unreflectively and uncritically state that, for example that you can be an activist for either animal rights or human rights but not both/ and (as if the two were mutually incompatiable and exclusive - i.e. humans and other animals exist in some sort of splendid ideological, cultural, political, economic, etc. etc. isolation).

Depressingly, such a (willfully) shallow reading is in my experience particularly prevalent within the so-called ‘radical’ academic communities…

Beyond GDP: Measuring progress, true wealth, and the well-being of nations

richjw — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:43:44 +0000

Excellent resources – videos, papers, discussions - from the EU focused around the limitations of GDP. LINK HERE

Spurred on by the success of the 2007 conference, the Beyond GDP partners continue to work on improving our measures of progress, wealth and well-being. This website reflects this effort and aims to more widely share information on recent developments and ongoing work on indicators to assess social, economic, and environmental progress.

Memorable ADBUSTERS advert on the same measurement:

Excellent Jounal: Green Theory & Praxis: The Journal of Ecopedagogy

richjw — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:29:55 +0000

Green Theory & Praxis: The Journal of Ecopedagogy (GTP) represents a scholarly effort to present research papers and essays at the transformative nexus of ecological politics and culture, ecocriticism, the critique of social structures, and sustainability education. The editorial board of GTP takes the position that many human societies and their attendant political economy and cultural norms depart strikingly from what is needed to maintain ecological harmony and planetary/species flourishing. The journal seeks to offer a forum for careful study of the theoretical positions, political and economic adjustments, behavioral and institutional alterations, pedagogical mobilizations, and spiritual emergences that will or should emerge in response to increasing ecological damage of both a physical and psychic nature. We seek critical analysis of the root causes of various ecological crises and to link theory to concrete prospects for social change through pedagogy conceived broadly. Given the scope and complexity of our approach, we anticipate transdisciplinary research papers, and we invite scholars and activists from countries throughout the world to submit manuscripts for peer review.

See here: Green Theory & Practice

UCHANNEL: New Capitalism and the Bubble Economy

richjw — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:21:29 +0000

UCHANNEL

A collection of public affairs lectures, panels and events from academic institutions all over the world — for you to view, listen to, stream or download.

I enjoyed this talk:

New Capitalism and the Bubble Economy

LINK HERE

Kevin Doogan is Jean Monnet Professor of European Policy Studies at the University of Bristol and author of New Capitalism? The Transformation of Work (Polity 2009).

(May 14, 2009 at the RSA)

In the midst of the current crisis it is difficult to remember that up until quite recently people waxed lyrical about the wonders of the new economy. This was a new capitalism in which globalisation, technological change, deregulation and market liberalisation drove the world economy onwards and upwards. A distinct set of ideas had been developed to capture this new economy, in which nebulous concepts such as ‘knowledge’, ‘networks’,’ informationalism’, and ‘innovation’ were used to depict a world of flows of communication and flows of capital; all motion and no matter.

Renowned sociologist Kevin Doogan roots these developments in the rise of neoliberalism, and identifies three features of neoliberalism that help explain, not only the fragility of the bubble economy, but also reveal the nature of wealth accumulation in this period – deregulation, financialisation and changes in corporate governance.

Kevin Doogan visits the RSA to show how these developments must be factored into the radical policy rethink that is currently underway. Doogan will argue that if we are to restore rationality to the management of the economy, nothing short of a full-scale policy reversal will suffice.

Chair: Laurie Taylor, broadcaster and sociologist

Latest Issue: Journal for Critical Animal Studies Volume VII, Issue II (2009)

richjw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:50:44 +0000

Volume VII, Issue II (2009)

You can download the JCAS issue in one complete PDF document by clicking here: JCAS Volume VII, Issue II. This is the second issue that I have published as Editor-in-Chief.

Content

Editorial Board, ICAS Report, and Editorial
pg. 1-8

The Animal Voice Behind the Animal Fable
Namma Harel
pg. 9-21

The Broken Promises of Monsters: Haraway, Animals and the Humanist Legacy
Zipporah Weisberg
pg. 22-62

The Great Unity: Daoism, Nonhuman Animals, and Human Ethics
Lisa Kemmerer
pg. 63-83

Normative Sociology: The Intuitionist Crisis and Animals as Absent Referents
Part I of II essays on animals and normative sociology
David Sztybel
pg. 84-128

BOOK REVIEW
Pattrice Jones (2007) Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World: A Guide for Activists and their Allies, New York: Lantern
Reviewed by: Lisa Kemmerer
pg. 129-137

FILM REVIEWS
Behind the Mask (2006) Uncaged Films and ARME
Reviewed by: Sarat Colling and Anthony J. Nocella, II
pg. 138-143

Winged Migration (2001) Sony Picture Classics
Reviewed by: Nicole R. Pallotta
pg. 144-152

This issue, past issues and much more information about JCAS can be found here: Institute for Critical Animal Studies

Excellent Conferences in 2010: Animal(s) Matter(s): The Future of Critical Animal Studies, University of Liverpool, Department of Philosophy

richjw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:54:08 +0000

Animal(s) Matter(s)

The Future of Critical Animal Studies

This day conference will bring academics and activists together to consider future ways of addressing the radical implications of critical work on understanding and dealing with non-human animals.

Venue: Foresight Centre, University of Liverpool (Building 359)

Date: April 23rd, 2010

Speakers: Alistair Currie (PETA); Professor Celia Deane-Drummond (Chester and CAFOD); Jasmijn de Boo (Animals Count); Professor Robert Garner (Leicester); Dr Simon James (Durham); Dr Dan Lyons (Uncaged Campaigns); Dr Karen Morgan (Cardiff); Dr Anat Pick (UEL); Dr Richard Twine (Lancaster); Dr Richard White (Sheffield Hallam). Full speaker information and programme.

Registration Fee (includes lunch and refreshment): £40 (waged) / £30 (students and unwaged).

For further details, contact Stephen R. L. Clark, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool.

Please let us know if accommodation is needed on either the night of April 22nd or April 23rd. With enough advance notice, we may be able to arrange a conference discount at a local hotel.

This conference is sponsored by the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, the Society for Applied Philosophy, the Mind Association, and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool.