Join the Animal Liberation Theory & Action Reading & Discussion Group

Want to broaden your understanding of the theory and philosophy that is the foundation of the animals rights movement? Want to discuss tactics and talk animal lib strategy? What about drawing connections to other social movements?

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This Thursday, Feb 18 from 6pm-8pm, VegWorcester will hold the first meeting of the second annual Animal Liberation Theory & Action reading & discussion group. Last year, 8 people graduated the Animal Lib group after spending two months discussing animal rights, feminism, utilitarianism, veganism, direct action, and many other topics. This year we’ll look at different books, watch different films and even bring in an outside speaker.

Overview

The goal of this 8 week reading and discussion group is to develop a strong philosophical understanding of the animal rights movement. Animal rights is a topic that is particularly well-suited for a reading group because the movement is solidly grounded in philosophy and ethics. We’ll discuss why animals matters, speciesism, where animal rights and other social movement intersect, the legal standing of animals, the corporate and government response to effective organizing, we’ll talk about strategy, compare and contrast the diverse tactics used to advocate for animals and other topics.

Logistics

The group meets weekly from Thursday, Feb 18, 2010 until Thursday, Apr 15, 2010. We’ll read 3 or 4 books, watch 2 films, and host 1 speaker. Together these books, films, speaker, and our discussion will paint a picture of this diverse social movement and place animal rights in the context of the social justice and environmental movement. Each meeting will have a free vegan dinner and lots of good discussion.

To cover the cost of using the materials, we’ll ask for small donations for VegWorcester. But no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Meeting Structure

We meet every Thursday from 6pm-8pm. The first meeting will be held in the Academic Commons at Clark University (the open area under the library). At the first meeting we’ll have a overview of the animal rights movement and the literature that has made a big splash. As a group, we will choose which books to read and plan our group’s schedule.

At each of the remaining 7 meeting, we will have a somewhat structured discussion about the reading or film from the past week.

Book List

We will read either 3 or 4 books, likely from the following list:

The Foundation of the Movement

Works establish the philosophical foundation of the modern animal liberation movement.

The State of the Movement

Writing that paint a good picture of where the animal rights movements stands today.

Tactics & Strategy

Books that discuss the tactics commonly employed by activists and the strategic value of those tactics.

Connection to Other Social Movements

Literature that connects animal liberation to other social movements.

Downloads

February 17, 2010   Posted in: Animal Liberation Theory & Action Reading Group, Animal Rights

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