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A Politica Sexual da Carne. Uma Teoria Critica Feminista-Vegetariana by Carol J. Adams

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samdalefox's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

For people new to this type of book. Critical theory is defined as philosophical approach to culture, especially literature, that considers the social, historical, and ideological forces and structures which produce and constrain it. This book looks at the relationship between meat-eating culture and patriachal culture, primarily evidenced by looking at examples in literature.

The book focuses on the West and global North almost exclusively, and primarily looks at the relationship of gender and the meat and dairy industry (objectification, control, rape, death, consumption, commodification). It does have two sections on the further intersection with racism, I would like to have seen this area more thoroughly explored. The book constrains itself to a binary approach to gender. Additionally, I was surprised at how little veganism is explored. Veganism is first explicitly introduced in the 'animalized Vs feminized protein' section about 30% of the way in. It is recognised as the logical conclusion of the feminist-vegetarian critical theory, but little time is spent on it. (See page 63 of this edition, section 'new naming: Vegan' for a good explanation of the evolution of the term and ideology.)

Overall, I think this is an important peice of work with copious literature evidence supplied, most of which is convincing. The most important concept to first grasp is the 'absent referent', I found some of the language was unnecessarily academic and repetitive, especially in this critical section. This is common trend I've found in critical theory texts. I appreciate the inclusion of 'body mediated knowledge' and I particularly found the analysis of the links between meat-eating, patriachy, and war very interesting and the analysis of the slaughterhouse dissembly line with respect to capitalism.

TLDR: interesting topic, critical analyses, most parts have aged well, could do with updating in some sections, could benefit from an agressive editor, still relevant to today.

Selected quotes:

"The hierachy of meat protein reinforces and hierachy of race, class, and sex."

"As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he had always thought the same thought: in their behaviour towards creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right." - Isaac Bashevus Singer, Enemies: A love story

"The men...were better hunters than the women, but only because the women had found they could live quite well on foods other than meat." - Alice Walker, The Temple of my familiar.

"The absent referent, because of its absence, prevents us from experiencing connections between oppressed groups. Cultural images of butchering and sexual violence are so interpenetrated that animals act as the absent referent in radiacal feminist discourse. In this sense radical feminist theory participates in the same set of representational structures it seeks to expose. We uphold the patriachial structure of absent referents, appropriating the experience of animals to interpret our own violations."

"Despite this dependence on the imagery of butchering, radical feminist discourse has failed to integrate the literal oppression of animals into our analysis of patriachal culture or to acknowledge the strong historical alliance between feminism and vegetarianism. Whereas women may feel like pieces of meat, and be treated like pieces of meat - emotionally butchered and physically battered - animals actually are made into pieces of meat."

"The institution of butchering is unique to human beings. All carnivore animals kill and consume their prey themselves. They see and hear their victims before they eat them. The is no absent referent, only a dead one... We have no bodily agency for killing and dismembering the animals we eat; we require implements... Without implemental violence human beings could not eat meat. Violence is central to the act of slaughtering."

"Those who are againist facism without being against capitalism, who lament over the barbarism that comes out of the barbarism, are like people who wish to eat their veal without slaughtering the calf" - Bertolt Brecht, Writing the truth: Five difficulties

"Metaphoric borrowing that depends upon violation yet fails to protest the originating violence does not acknowledge interlocking oppressions. Our goal is to resist the violence that separate matter from spirit, to eliminate the structure that reates absent referents."

"Vegetarians face the problem of making their meanings understood within a dominant culture that accepts the legitimacy of meat eating...The theory of dominance-mutedness explains why vegetarians are not heard by the dominant culture...muted groups must mediate their beliefs through the allowable forms of dominant structures".

"Vegetarianism does more than rebuke a meat-eating society; it rebukes a patriarchal society, since as we have seen meat eating is associated with male power. Colonialist British (male) Beefeaters are not viewed positively if you do not approve of eating beef, male control, or colonialism."

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