Intersectionality, feminist social work, animals and the politics of meat

In this chapter, we consider how animal oppression is related to intersectional feminist social work and why social work needs to face the politics of meat-eating. In the first part of the discussion, we outline how animal studies have become relevant to social work, noting two United States social work programmes specialising in veterinary and animal-assisted social work. In the second, we discuss intersectional feminism in the context of animals and social work, making the argument that Intersectionality needs to consider speciesism as a form of privilege and oppression. In the third part, we make the case for social work to face the politics of meat. Using the work of Carol Adams and others, we identify three sets of negative impacts of meat production and consumption are considered: (a) for “livestock”; (b) for the environment and (c) for humans. We end with ideas about vegan, intersectional social work possibilities.