North American Taiwan Studies Association Conference 2022

Description

動物是朋友(Dòngwù shì péngyǒu): Animal advocacy in Taiwan

Animal advocates in Taiwan have been at the center of major changes in social and policy conceptions of animal protection since the 1990s. In recent years and in tandem with the global spread of ethical veganism both as a dietary choice and lifestyle, animal activists have come together to spearhead what can be better described as a New Social Movement in Taiwan. While green movements have received a great deal of academic attention in relation to democratic, political, and policy processes, animals and their advocates have remained largely in the margins of such discussions. In the face of global challenges that blur national and species boundaries such as climate change and pandemics, an ‘anthropocenic turn’ in now taking place in the social sciences that questions human-nature relations at its core. Considering this, paying closer attention to the work of advocates advancing the interests of non-humans in Taiwan is timely. Animal advocates are at the forefront of the ongoing consumption shift toward plant-based living (蔬食生活), as well as of recent calls for the inclusion of animal protection into Taiwan’s constitution (動保入憲). In this paper I examine the work of these activists through their promotion of everyday behavioral change in the form of animal-friendly lifestyles. In the process, opening a space for their inclusion into the Taiwan Studies dialogue on green movements.

Period	2022 Jul 9
Event type	Conference
Location	Washington, United States, District of ColumbiaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International