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A Rational Approach to Animal Rights: Extensions in Abolitionist Theory
Applying critical sociological theory, this book explores the shortcomings of popular tactics in animal liberation efforts. Building a case for a scientifically-grounded grassroots approach, it is argued that professionalized advocacy that works in the service of theistic, capitalist, patriarchal institutions will find difficulty achieving success.
- GenresNonfictionVeganAnimals
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
About the author
Corey Lee Wrenn
6 books48 followersDr. Wrenn is Lecturer of Sociology with the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) at the University of Kent. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology with Colorado State University in 2016. She received her M.S. in Sociology in 2008 and her B.A. in Political Science in 2005, both from Virginia Tech. She was awarded Exemplary Diversity Scholar, 2016 by the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity. She served as council member with the American Sociological Association’s Animals & Society section (2013-2016) and was elected Chair in 2018. She serves as Book Review Editor to Society & Animals and is a member of The Vegan Society’s Research Advisory Committee. She has contributed to the Human-Animal Studies Images and Cinema blogs for the Animals and Society Institute. She has been published in several peer-reviewed academic journals including the Journal of Gender Studies, Feminist Media Studies, Disability & Society, Food, Culture & Society, and Society & Animals. In July 2013, she founded the Vegan Feminist Network, an academic-activist project engaging intersectional social justice praxis. She is the author of
A Rational Approach to Animal Rights: Extensions in Abolitionist Theory
(Palgrave MacMillan 2016) and
Piecemeal Protest: Animal Rights in the Age of Nonprofits
(University of Michigan Press 2019).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 17, 2018
In recent years I have been grown to despise the words “effective” and “pragmatic”. Because some organizations and (privileged) persons are persistently implying that abolitionism is ineffective (vs effective wealfareism, reducetarianism etc), and that consistent vegan message is not pragmatic. It just seems unbelievable that only unjust solutions could be effective, scientific, and pragmatic. It is not that I am not for scientific approach, but it just felt wrong that it has to come through further victimization of other animals (and opressed humans too for that matter).
So when I started to read the book A Rational Approach To Animal Rights I was taken aback when I saw the words effective and scientific, and thought disappointingly that Corey Wrenn has gone to the dark side...
But instead, this books was like a breath of fresh air. Wrenn shows that effectivness does not have to mean staying true to the popular opinions, it doesn’t have to mean using speciesist and sexists campaigns. We can go beyond idealism and philosophy but still be consistent, scientific, and rational. “Veganism is all that non humans have”. Anything less is irrational. Anything less doesn’t make sense.
And it is equally important that Wrenn takes the pro-intersectional approach. Anti-speciesism alone won’t erase opression. Consistent anti-opression ise the key. As vegan advocates we need to be conscious of our privileges and fight for all opression.
This is one of the best books on vegan advocacy that analyzes all the important aspects of our activism. Whoever claims to be effective and scientific in their activism can’t ignore this book. Every activist needs to read it. Only problem is that it is currently way too expensive, so unfortunately it is difficult for the target audience to reach it. I hope this can be somehow changed and that the publisher will make it widely available.
So when I started to read the book A Rational Approach To Animal Rights I was taken aback when I saw the words effective and scientific, and thought disappointingly that Corey Wrenn has gone to the dark side...
But instead, this books was like a breath of fresh air. Wrenn shows that effectivness does not have to mean staying true to the popular opinions, it doesn’t have to mean using speciesist and sexists campaigns. We can go beyond idealism and philosophy but still be consistent, scientific, and rational. “Veganism is all that non humans have”. Anything less is irrational. Anything less doesn’t make sense.
And it is equally important that Wrenn takes the pro-intersectional approach. Anti-speciesism alone won’t erase opression. Consistent anti-opression ise the key. As vegan advocates we need to be conscious of our privileges and fight for all opression.
This is one of the best books on vegan advocacy that analyzes all the important aspects of our activism. Whoever claims to be effective and scientific in their activism can’t ignore this book. Every activist needs to read it. Only problem is that it is currently way too expensive, so unfortunately it is difficult for the target audience to reach it. I hope this can be somehow changed and that the publisher will make it widely available.
June 10, 2017
This one isn't an easy read. It requires some substantial effort to grasp. I guess, if checked, readability of the book would score the highest. Sophisticated, but not technical language made the book very enjoyable for me.
The text is overly repetitive and sometimes excessively detailed, so that it could be easily reduced by at least half if not two thirds.
As for the message, the major part of the book is criticism of the mainstream approaches to animal advocacy. And unlike all the other attempts of the similar kind, it has a scientific basis and is worth consideration by those involved in the movement.
The book says a lot about "how not to", but says little about "how to", though.
The text is overly repetitive and sometimes excessively detailed, so that it could be easily reduced by at least half if not two thirds.
As for the message, the major part of the book is criticism of the mainstream approaches to animal advocacy. And unlike all the other attempts of the similar kind, it has a scientific basis and is worth consideration by those involved in the movement.
The book says a lot about "how not to", but says little about "how to", though.
March 22, 2026
So much I agree with and so much I don't. Wren makes a great critique of corporate animal activism, which has pushed us into cookie-cutter rhetoric that is hurt by its inauthenticity. New animal activists are pushed into the same few groups which dominate the landscape and are hostile to new ideas. Wren makes the point that, rather than arguing that because our movement is so small we can't afford infighting, the smallness of our movement should mean we can't afford NOT to constantly critique and re-evaluate our methods.
She also critiques the passive nature of animal activism, particularly in the realm of effective altruism. Vegans are told that the best way to make a difference is to donate to pre-selected effective charities, many of which work on low-ask campaigns such as cage-free wins. Non-profits are beholden to their donors and can't afford to take more bold action without alienating their donor base. For this reason, they don't necessarily create the best forms of change.
Where I disagree with Wren is on her black-and-white condemnation of single issue campaigns. Wren believes that any and all activism which isn't focused on turning people 100% vegan is a waste of time and a betrayal of the animals. I have seen first-hand how this isn't true. When activists get a company to stop using fur, millions of animals are spared. Yes, this doesn't free animals not farmed for their fur, but it directly works to end a brutal industry and prevents any more oppression in that area.
When you look at any social movement, they often chose smaller so-called "single-issue" wins as a pathway to change. For example, the bus boycotts. This was "single-issue" in that it didn't seek to end segregation everywhere at once, but only on buses. Yet it succeeded in creating enough momentum to eventually end segregation across the country.
Single-issue campaigns aren't a betrayal when they are shrinking the realm in which animal exploitation industries are allowed to operate and creating new social norms around what is acceptable. They create change faster than individual persuasion, which is the only thing Wren seems to endorse, and while she makes a big talk about using science to inform advocacy, she fails to provide much evidence that this approach is the only way.
That said, a lot of Wren's critiques are highly necessary and I would recommend this book for anyone who is new to the idea of actually evaluating our movement strategy (which is a surprising and depressing amount of people).
She also critiques the passive nature of animal activism, particularly in the realm of effective altruism. Vegans are told that the best way to make a difference is to donate to pre-selected effective charities, many of which work on low-ask campaigns such as cage-free wins. Non-profits are beholden to their donors and can't afford to take more bold action without alienating their donor base. For this reason, they don't necessarily create the best forms of change.
Where I disagree with Wren is on her black-and-white condemnation of single issue campaigns. Wren believes that any and all activism which isn't focused on turning people 100% vegan is a waste of time and a betrayal of the animals. I have seen first-hand how this isn't true. When activists get a company to stop using fur, millions of animals are spared. Yes, this doesn't free animals not farmed for their fur, but it directly works to end a brutal industry and prevents any more oppression in that area.
When you look at any social movement, they often chose smaller so-called "single-issue" wins as a pathway to change. For example, the bus boycotts. This was "single-issue" in that it didn't seek to end segregation everywhere at once, but only on buses. Yet it succeeded in creating enough momentum to eventually end segregation across the country.
Single-issue campaigns aren't a betrayal when they are shrinking the realm in which animal exploitation industries are allowed to operate and creating new social norms around what is acceptable. They create change faster than individual persuasion, which is the only thing Wren seems to endorse, and while she makes a big talk about using science to inform advocacy, she fails to provide much evidence that this approach is the only way.
That said, a lot of Wren's critiques are highly necessary and I would recommend this book for anyone who is new to the idea of actually evaluating our movement strategy (which is a surprising and depressing amount of people).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews