Introducing Vegan Studies

Abstract

According to a Memorandum of Association of the Vegan Society, to be vegan is to ascribe to a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals. A 2006 estimate placed the number of vegans in the United States somewhere around 1.7 million, and with “vegan movement organizations counting their membership in the tens of thousands, there are arguably more practicing vegans in the USA than there are members of vegan organizations” (Cherry 156). Furthermore, since 2006, the number of vegans in the UK rose by 360 percent (Quinn). As an identity category and a lifestyle, veganism constitutes a subject position that allows for environmentally responsible consumer choices that are viewed, particularly in the west, as oppositional to and disruptive of a capitalist system that is largely dependent upon big agriculture. Furthermore, veganism has become increasingly visible via celebrity endorsements and universally acknowledged health benefits, and veganism and vegan characters (as well as tacit vegan politics1) are increasingly present in works of art and literature in ways that insist upon their recognition as worthy of ecocritical inquiry. To that end, this special cluster on Vegan Studies offers four essays that theorize vegans and veganism within the context of environmental literature and film.