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Strategic Action for Animals: A Handbook on Strategic Movement Building, Organizing, and Activism for Animal Liberation
The animal liberation movement is growing in size and strength, but so are the industries that exploit animals. These industries have vastly more resources at their disposal than activists do. Given this tremendous power differential, how can activists hope to compete? The good news is that there is a way to shift the balance of power in favor of the movement. And strategy is the way. In Strategic Action for Animals, Melanie Joy explains how to use strategy to exponentially increase the effectiveness of activism for animals. Drawing on diverse movements and sources, she offers tried and true tactics based on well-established principles and practices. She also explains how to address the most common problems that weaken the movement, such as dissidence among organizations and activists, inefficient campaigns, wasted resources, and high rates of burnout. Whether you are working alone or with a group, whether you are a seasoned activist or new to the movement, Strategic Action for Animals, can help you make the most of your efforts to make the world a better place for animals.
163 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
About the author
Melanie Joy
9 books392 followersMelanie Joy is an award-winning psychologist, bestselling author, and internationally recognized voice on the psychology of social transformation, relationships, and emotional resilience. She’s written seven nonfiction books, which have been published or contracted in 23 languages, and she’s the eighth recipient of the Ahimsa Award—previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela—for her work on global nonviolence.
With her trademark blend of intellect, heart, and humor, she brings a fresh perspective to fiction in her new book, "A Half-Hearted Death Wish"—a bighearted, quirky, and thought-provoking debut novel.
You can learn more about her at melaniejoy.org.
With her trademark blend of intellect, heart, and humor, she brings a fresh perspective to fiction in her new book, "A Half-Hearted Death Wish"—a bighearted, quirky, and thought-provoking debut novel.
You can learn more about her at melaniejoy.org.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 27, 2009
Wow! This woman is really a pro. I have a feeling those who follow her advice will get better results than if they try to muddle through on their own.
This book has lots of practical advice, much of it for groups vs. individuals, although individuals can also definitely use the advice in this book to maximize their effectiveness. Included are factors that promote or thwart success. Step by step guidance is given, with plenty of examples. There is also information on how to start a grassroots organization and make it thrive. She addresses issues such as addiction to activism and other problems of individuals who work within groups that have an impact on group dynamics and can cause an organization to fail or be ineffective.
So sad, but the contents of this book made even clearer to me why one of my local vegan promoting groups is not as successful as it could be and why many worthy organizations and individuals aren’t effective in their efforts.
One of her most cogent points is that in order for a movement to succeed it has to become what’s mainstream: the majority needs to be shown that they’re actually in agreement with the activists, not those currently in power.
As she does in more depth in her book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows An Introduction to Carnism she does explain why there is often so much resistance to the changes wanted by animal liberation activists and she does provide very helpful ways to address this issue. The later chapters are particularly helpful to individuals working on their own or within organizations. She stresses how a “strategic advocate for animals” must have what Ghandi had: “practical skills and personal integrity.” She stresses the importance of activists taking care of themselves, an inclusion I really appreciated, and she doesn’t just say it; she gives so many helpful suggestions about various ways to implement self care.
I’ve always been bored by organizational psychology as a subject my eyes prone to glaze over if I’m forced to read about it or listen to an expert in the field, but this is basically what this book is, and I found it really interesting. This book is about how to work for animal liberation, but the strategies given are useful for doing work for any cause.
At the end of the book are a bibliography and Appendices with included pictorial descriptions of topics covered earlier in the book.
For most part time activists I’d recommend that they first read The Animal Activists Handbook Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today's World. However, I highly recommend this book too; it contains some helpful tips that pertain to everyone who is doing something to try to make a difference. I felt helped and very supported by this book.
Edited to add: This book's contents aren't useful just for activists. Anyone who's ever experienced office politics or who has any interpersonal relationships of any kind will find much that's beneficial for them by reading this book.
This book has lots of practical advice, much of it for groups vs. individuals, although individuals can also definitely use the advice in this book to maximize their effectiveness. Included are factors that promote or thwart success. Step by step guidance is given, with plenty of examples. There is also information on how to start a grassroots organization and make it thrive. She addresses issues such as addiction to activism and other problems of individuals who work within groups that have an impact on group dynamics and can cause an organization to fail or be ineffective.
So sad, but the contents of this book made even clearer to me why one of my local vegan promoting groups is not as successful as it could be and why many worthy organizations and individuals aren’t effective in their efforts.
One of her most cogent points is that in order for a movement to succeed it has to become what’s mainstream: the majority needs to be shown that they’re actually in agreement with the activists, not those currently in power.
As she does in more depth in her book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows An Introduction to Carnism she does explain why there is often so much resistance to the changes wanted by animal liberation activists and she does provide very helpful ways to address this issue. The later chapters are particularly helpful to individuals working on their own or within organizations. She stresses how a “strategic advocate for animals” must have what Ghandi had: “practical skills and personal integrity.” She stresses the importance of activists taking care of themselves, an inclusion I really appreciated, and she doesn’t just say it; she gives so many helpful suggestions about various ways to implement self care.
I’ve always been bored by organizational psychology as a subject my eyes prone to glaze over if I’m forced to read about it or listen to an expert in the field, but this is basically what this book is, and I found it really interesting. This book is about how to work for animal liberation, but the strategies given are useful for doing work for any cause.
At the end of the book are a bibliography and Appendices with included pictorial descriptions of topics covered earlier in the book.
For most part time activists I’d recommend that they first read The Animal Activists Handbook Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today's World. However, I highly recommend this book too; it contains some helpful tips that pertain to everyone who is doing something to try to make a difference. I felt helped and very supported by this book.
Edited to add: This book's contents aren't useful just for activists. Anyone who's ever experienced office politics or who has any interpersonal relationships of any kind will find much that's beneficial for them by reading this book.
October 20, 2009
I resisted reading this book because I thought it was aimed at those involved in building animal advocacy organizations. And, in fact, a big portion of the book is devoted to that. But there is tons of great stuff here for individual activists and even for those who don’t really see themselves as “activists” but just want to know how to talk to others about their vegan lifestyle. It is a short quick read, but every page is packed with useful information. Dr. Melanie Joy is a psychologist and has a master’s degree in education so she brings some real insight to the issues she discusses. This is truly the best book for activists I have read. I wrote a more extensive review of it
here.
here.
November 15, 2010
Incredibly useful, taking a broader look at animal advocacy and helping to lead the way and also, talks sensitively about some of the different styles of animal advocacy.
Essential reading and rereading.
Essential reading and rereading.
December 24, 2016
This has some really concise advice for anyone in the vegan/animal rights organizations. It could probably even be applied to other social justice movements or volunteer organizations. It lacks the clarity of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, but still provides some good points especially about power dynamics within an organization, and considering your employees' and volunteers' motivations. Joy has an excellent point that these organizations need to stay within the system and not appear too radical so as to not alienate potential members. This movement should be able to seamlessly become mainstream one day.
January 11, 2021
Got through this short one very quickly. This is probably the most practical advice I've seen from books like these. She discusses movement building, individual activism and especially organising. This one is complimented very well by Changing the Game by Norm Phelps, How to Create a Vegan World by Tobias Leenaert and Change of Heart by Nick Cooney.
October 12, 2013
Become the Change!
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review at the publisher's invitation.)
THANKING THE MONKEY: RETHINKING THE WAY WE TREAT ANIMALS. STRIKING AT THE ROOTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ANIMAL ACTIVISM. FARM SANCTUARY: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT ANIMALS AND FOOD. SKINNY BITCH…IN A BOX. With all the recent popular releases on the topic of animal advocacy, 2008 feels as though it’s shaping up to be the year of the veg*n. (Even Oprah’s getting into the act, y’all!)
Social psychologist Melanie Joy joins the conversation with her first book, STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS: A HANDBOOK ON STRATEGIC MOVEMENT BUILDING, ORGANIZING, AND ACTIVISM FOR ANIMAL LIBERATION. Joy’s goal is simple: to encourage fellow activists to maximize their effectiveness, by carefully weighing, analyzing, and strategizing their activism. Because the animal liberation movement will never have more money or (entrenched) power than the corporate and political forces we’re fighting, the only way we can triumph is through strategy.
A “strategic movement,” Joy explains, is one which thinks globally, but acts locally. Before engaging in a piece of activism, animal advocates must think about how the action will impact the animal liberation movement as a whole. Additionally, every isolated piece of activism must be considered in relation to those that precede and succeed it. Every lofty goal is comprised of a series of minute steps or tasks; instead of shooting for the stars and burning out before takeoff, animal activists must set reasonable goals and embark on a carefully mapped journey. Such meticulously crafted plans take time, dedication - and strategy, strategy, strategy!
Part of “strategic activism” involves diversity: in individual activists, in the goals and approaches of various animal liberation campaigns and organizations, in the messages employed and the demographics targeted.
Citing Bill Moyer’s DOING DEMOCRACY, Joy describes the “different types of activists and organizations that work simultaneously and in different roles”: the Citizen - “the upstanding member of society, the one to whom the mainstream can easily relate”; the Reformer - who “may or may not be more radical than the Citizen”…”he or she typically works in a professional opposition organization”; and the Rebel - who “is more confrontational, participating in rallies and perhaps civil disobedience”. As examples of each, Joy offers up the SPCA, the PCRM and ALDF, and PETA, respectively.
Joy touches upon several controversial topics in her discussion, namely “mainstreaming” the movement, the use of violent vs. non-violent tactics, the abolition/reform divide, and coalition building, particularly in relation to intersecting or parallel oppressions. While I don’t wholeheartedly agree with her perspective on the first three issues, I’m both happy and grateful for her emphasis on intersecting “isms”. Too often, animal advocates must deal with speciesism in other social justice movements; yet, I’ve also encountered a disturbing amount of misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism and sizeism among animal activists. Activists of all stripes must accept that these forms of oppression are all related – and in order to defeat one, you must defeat them all.
Many of the suggestions within STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS are geared towards grassroots animal advocacy organizations rather than individual activists. For example, you’ll find chapters on organizing and managing a grassroots organization, developing and waging successful campaigns, and maintaining the health of your employees, volunteers and organization. Since it’s a rather slim volume, I thought the book could have covered the topics of time management, conflict resolution and leadership a bit more, rather than referring the reader to additional resources. However, for organizations, it’s a useful starting point for building a successful, long-lasting animal advocacy group. If you’re in a position of leadership in an animal advocacy organization (or are thinking about starting your own group), I recommend reading STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS in conjunction with pattrice jones’s AFTERSHOCK, also from Lantern Books.
Individual activists will also enjoy STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS. If you’re looking to volunteer for (or work with) an animal advocacy group, you can use the lessons in STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS to “shop around” for the right group for you - a sustainable, strategic group with a cooperative (vs. competitive) power structure that will value both your hard work as well as your personal wellness.
For fellow activists, I recommend STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS along with AFTERSHOCK and perhaps Mark Hawthorne’s STRIKING AT THE ROOTS. Whereas STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS concentrates on movement-building, STRIKING AT THE ROOTS offers a number of specific types of activism that the individual can engage in, either alone or as part of a group.
----------------------
A much longer review is available here: http://www.easyvegan.info/2008/06/16/...
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review at the publisher's invitation.)
THANKING THE MONKEY: RETHINKING THE WAY WE TREAT ANIMALS. STRIKING AT THE ROOTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ANIMAL ACTIVISM. FARM SANCTUARY: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT ANIMALS AND FOOD. SKINNY BITCH…IN A BOX. With all the recent popular releases on the topic of animal advocacy, 2008 feels as though it’s shaping up to be the year of the veg*n. (Even Oprah’s getting into the act, y’all!)
Social psychologist Melanie Joy joins the conversation with her first book, STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS: A HANDBOOK ON STRATEGIC MOVEMENT BUILDING, ORGANIZING, AND ACTIVISM FOR ANIMAL LIBERATION. Joy’s goal is simple: to encourage fellow activists to maximize their effectiveness, by carefully weighing, analyzing, and strategizing their activism. Because the animal liberation movement will never have more money or (entrenched) power than the corporate and political forces we’re fighting, the only way we can triumph is through strategy.
A “strategic movement,” Joy explains, is one which thinks globally, but acts locally. Before engaging in a piece of activism, animal advocates must think about how the action will impact the animal liberation movement as a whole. Additionally, every isolated piece of activism must be considered in relation to those that precede and succeed it. Every lofty goal is comprised of a series of minute steps or tasks; instead of shooting for the stars and burning out before takeoff, animal activists must set reasonable goals and embark on a carefully mapped journey. Such meticulously crafted plans take time, dedication - and strategy, strategy, strategy!
Part of “strategic activism” involves diversity: in individual activists, in the goals and approaches of various animal liberation campaigns and organizations, in the messages employed and the demographics targeted.
Citing Bill Moyer’s DOING DEMOCRACY, Joy describes the “different types of activists and organizations that work simultaneously and in different roles”: the Citizen - “the upstanding member of society, the one to whom the mainstream can easily relate”; the Reformer - who “may or may not be more radical than the Citizen”…”he or she typically works in a professional opposition organization”; and the Rebel - who “is more confrontational, participating in rallies and perhaps civil disobedience”. As examples of each, Joy offers up the SPCA, the PCRM and ALDF, and PETA, respectively.
Joy touches upon several controversial topics in her discussion, namely “mainstreaming” the movement, the use of violent vs. non-violent tactics, the abolition/reform divide, and coalition building, particularly in relation to intersecting or parallel oppressions. While I don’t wholeheartedly agree with her perspective on the first three issues, I’m both happy and grateful for her emphasis on intersecting “isms”. Too often, animal advocates must deal with speciesism in other social justice movements; yet, I’ve also encountered a disturbing amount of misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism and sizeism among animal activists. Activists of all stripes must accept that these forms of oppression are all related – and in order to defeat one, you must defeat them all.
Many of the suggestions within STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS are geared towards grassroots animal advocacy organizations rather than individual activists. For example, you’ll find chapters on organizing and managing a grassroots organization, developing and waging successful campaigns, and maintaining the health of your employees, volunteers and organization. Since it’s a rather slim volume, I thought the book could have covered the topics of time management, conflict resolution and leadership a bit more, rather than referring the reader to additional resources. However, for organizations, it’s a useful starting point for building a successful, long-lasting animal advocacy group. If you’re in a position of leadership in an animal advocacy organization (or are thinking about starting your own group), I recommend reading STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS in conjunction with pattrice jones’s AFTERSHOCK, also from Lantern Books.
Individual activists will also enjoy STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS. If you’re looking to volunteer for (or work with) an animal advocacy group, you can use the lessons in STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS to “shop around” for the right group for you - a sustainable, strategic group with a cooperative (vs. competitive) power structure that will value both your hard work as well as your personal wellness.
For fellow activists, I recommend STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS along with AFTERSHOCK and perhaps Mark Hawthorne’s STRIKING AT THE ROOTS. Whereas STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS concentrates on movement-building, STRIKING AT THE ROOTS offers a number of specific types of activism that the individual can engage in, either alone or as part of a group.
----------------------
A much longer review is available here: http://www.easyvegan.info/2008/06/16/...
May 26, 2017
All animal rights organisations should read this book
January 6, 2025
Not my type of activism but still some wisdom in her words
April 2, 2015
This is fantastic handbook, one which sheds light on many of the pitfalls of animal activism. Is it better to avoid burnout and sacrifice short-term goals to effect greater change in the long-term? Probably, as Melanie Joy argues.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews