Contesting Anthropocentric Masculinities Through Veganism Lived Experiences of Vegan Men

This book explores the potential of men’s veganism to contest unsustainable anthropocentric masculinities. Examining what it means to be a vegan man and connections between men, masculinities and veganism, it addresses exploitative human-animal relations, climate change, and social inequalities as urgent and interconnected global issues. Using conceptual insights from critical studies on men and masculinities, ecofeminism, critical animal studies and vegan studies, this book examines the potential of men’s veganism and vegan masculinities to foster more ethical, caring and sustainable ways of relating to nonhuman animals and to contribute towards more egalitarian gender relations. This book is grounded in a qualitative empirical study of the lived experiences of 61 vegan men in Northern Europe. The themes explored include men’s transition to veganism, the emotional and embodied dimensions of men’s veganism, negotiating social and intimate relationships as vegan men, and links between men’s veganism, gender equality and social justice.

Kadri Aavik is an Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Tallinn University, Estonia. She works in gender studies (with a focus on critical studies on men and masculinities), critical animal studies and vegan studies—and their intersections. She is co-editor of Men, Masculinities and the Modern Career: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives (2020, De Gruyter Oldenbourg), Feminist Animal and Multispecies Studies: Critical Perspectives on Food and Eating (forthcoming, Brill) and Handbook on Men, Masculinities and Organizations: Theories, Practices and Futures of Organizing (forthcoming, Routledge).