Animals and Women is a collection of pioneering essays that explores the theoretical connections between feminism and animal defense. Offering a feminist perspective on the status of animals, this unique volume argues persuasively that both the social construction and oppressions of women are inextricably connected to the ways in which we comprehend and abuse other species. Furthermore, it demonstrates that such a focus does not distract from the struggle for women’s rights, but rather contributes to it.
This wide-ranging multidisciplinary anthology presents original material from scholars in a variety of fields, as well as a rare, early article by Virginia Woolf. Exploring the leading edge of the species/gender boundary, it addresses such issues as the relationship between abortion rights and animal rights, the connection between woman-battering and animal abuse, and the speciesist basis for much sexist language. Also considered are the ways in which animals have been regarded by science, literature, and the environmentalist movement. A striking meditation on women and wolves is presented, as is an examination of sexual harassment and the taxonomy of hunters and hunting. Finally, this compelling collection suggests that the subordination and degradation of women is a prototype for other forms of abuse, and that to deny this connection is to participate in the continued mistreatment of animals and women.
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part 1 Sexism/Speciesism: Interlocking Oppressions
- 1 Sexist Words, Speciesist Roots
- 2 Exploring the Boundaries: Feminism, Animals, and Science
- 3 Woman-Battering and Harm to Animals
- 4 License to Kill: An Ecofeminist Critique of Hunters’ Discourse
- 5 Speech, Pornography, and Hunting
- 6 Abortion and Animal Rights: Are They Comparable Issues?
- Part 2 Alternative Stories
- 7 Beyond Just-So Stories: Narrative, Animals, and Ethics
- 8 Thinking Like a Chicken: Farm Animals and the Feminine Connection
- 9 Of Wolves and Women
- 10 The Power of Otherness: Animals in Women’s Fiction
- 11 Birds Don’t Sing in Greek: Virginia Woolf and “The Plumage Bill”
- Appendix: “The Plumage Bill” by Virginia Woolf
- 12 Taming Ourselves or Going Feral? Toward a Nonpatriarchal Metaethic of Animal Liberation
- 13 Speciesism, Racism, Nationalism . . . or the Power of Scientific Subjectivity
- Bibliography of Feminist Approaches to Animal Issues
- Notes on Contributors
- Index
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