From Vile to Virtuous: Challenging Animal Rights Stigma in Canada’s Wild Fur Industry

Abstract

This paper contributes to the stigma management literature by examining the viability of stigma-challenge strategies in mature, harm-based industries – contexts characterized by intense public scrutiny and threats to the continued survival of the industry category. Drawing on a case study of the Canadian wild fur industry’s response to anti-fur, animal rights activism and a possible ban on its products, we show how such intense core-stigmas may be managed via industry-government collective action. Based on our findings, we develop the concept of virtue transfer to describe a stigma-challenge mechanism whereby a virtuous identity – the positive attributes of a sub-group – is effectively transferred onto an entire industry category, in order to counter core-stigma and ensure the industry’s survival.