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The Vegan Matrix: Understanding and Discussing Privilege Among Vegans to Build a More Inclusive and Empowered Movement
A short guidebook to understanding and discussing privilege among vegans and vegan organizations in the wake of #metoo, including how to establish accountability while honoring dignity and ways to communicate effectively.
In The Vegan Matrix, psychologist, longtime vegan advocate, and organizational head Dr. Melanie Joy explores a serious problem in the vegan movement--unexamined privilege--and looks at the struggle to communicate effectively about this problem in a way that helps offset it. Using simple, straightforward language and a compassionate tone, Joy explains what privilege is, why it's so important for vegans to become aware of it, and how to talk about it in a way that deepens understanding and helps transform it. In so doing, Joy unpacks some of the many privileges that must be acknowledged and addressed, and shows how more inclusivity and diversity within vegan organizations will benefit the movement as a whole. The Vegan Matrix is a call to awareness and action, empowering vegans to reach a broader audience and to help create a more compassionate and just world.
"Building on her seminal work with carnism and powerarchy, in The Vegan Matrix Melanie Joy offers another vital treatise that provides crucial guidance for vegan advocates, especially those of us who are privileged. If we truly hope to end oppression, we need to better understand systemic inequity, abuses of power, and embedded traumas experienced by those who are disenfranchised. This cogent book encourages humility, learning, and the radical empathy necessary for healing and for helping to build a powerful vegan movement."--Gene Baur, Cofounder and President of Farm Sanctuary and bestselling author of Farm Sanctuary and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life
"The Vegan Matrix offers the ultimate blueprint to empower the vegan movement to become truly inclusive and unified so that we may live up to our core values of universal compassion and respect. This is the big leap on our journey to a vegan world. Every vegan needs to take a deep dive into Melanie Joy's extraordinary work."--Jane Velez-Mitchell, Founder of JaneUnchained News Network
"Rather than entrench divisions, Melanie Joy aims to create a stronger movement, literate in the issues of privilege and empowered to create change. Everyone looking to transform the world for the better should read this book."--Leah Garc�s, President of Mercy for Animals
"This book is a must-read for everyone in the vegan movement and beyond. It has not only helped me question my relationship with my privilege but also opened my eyes to the destructiveness that powerarchy is having on our movement and therefore on our reducing the suffering of animals. The Vegan Matrix is a wonderful tool to support us in becoming more effective activists, while at the same time being more compassionate with each other and more unified as a movement."--Ria Rehberg, CEO of Veganuary
"This is a very timely, challenging and convincing book, asking us to deepen and expand our thinking so that we are more effective in our efforts to create a vegan and more compassionate world."--Tobias Leenaert, author of How to Create a Vegan World
In The Vegan Matrix, psychologist, longtime vegan advocate, and organizational head Dr. Melanie Joy explores a serious problem in the vegan movement--unexamined privilege--and looks at the struggle to communicate effectively about this problem in a way that helps offset it. Using simple, straightforward language and a compassionate tone, Joy explains what privilege is, why it's so important for vegans to become aware of it, and how to talk about it in a way that deepens understanding and helps transform it. In so doing, Joy unpacks some of the many privileges that must be acknowledged and addressed, and shows how more inclusivity and diversity within vegan organizations will benefit the movement as a whole. The Vegan Matrix is a call to awareness and action, empowering vegans to reach a broader audience and to help create a more compassionate and just world.
"Building on her seminal work with carnism and powerarchy, in The Vegan Matrix Melanie Joy offers another vital treatise that provides crucial guidance for vegan advocates, especially those of us who are privileged. If we truly hope to end oppression, we need to better understand systemic inequity, abuses of power, and embedded traumas experienced by those who are disenfranchised. This cogent book encourages humility, learning, and the radical empathy necessary for healing and for helping to build a powerful vegan movement."--Gene Baur, Cofounder and President of Farm Sanctuary and bestselling author of Farm Sanctuary and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life
"The Vegan Matrix offers the ultimate blueprint to empower the vegan movement to become truly inclusive and unified so that we may live up to our core values of universal compassion and respect. This is the big leap on our journey to a vegan world. Every vegan needs to take a deep dive into Melanie Joy's extraordinary work."--Jane Velez-Mitchell, Founder of JaneUnchained News Network
"Rather than entrench divisions, Melanie Joy aims to create a stronger movement, literate in the issues of privilege and empowered to create change. Everyone looking to transform the world for the better should read this book."--Leah Garc�s, President of Mercy for Animals
"This book is a must-read for everyone in the vegan movement and beyond. It has not only helped me question my relationship with my privilege but also opened my eyes to the destructiveness that powerarchy is having on our movement and therefore on our reducing the suffering of animals. The Vegan Matrix is a wonderful tool to support us in becoming more effective activists, while at the same time being more compassionate with each other and more unified as a movement."--Ria Rehberg, CEO of Veganuary
"This is a very timely, challenging and convincing book, asking us to deepen and expand our thinking so that we are more effective in our efforts to create a vegan and more compassionate world."--Tobias Leenaert, author of How to Create a Vegan World
- GenresVeganNonfictionActivism
119 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2020
3 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Joy
9 books386 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
August 29, 2022
One of the best things to experience is to read what you had previously felt but was incapable of putting into words. A definite and essential read for anyone part of the vegan movement.
September 26, 2021
This book is full of the reminders you need to stay gentle with people, especially when you are asking them to be more gentle.
July 8, 2021
Melanie Joy is known for perceptive books that look at power dynamics, communication, and choices on both an individual and societal level. Her most famous work has to do with veganism and animal issues and how our culture handles (or neglects to handle) questions regarding these topics.
This book combines both topics in its focus on a series of incidents that rocked the animal advocacy community within the past few years—the revelation that a number of the male leaders in some of the best-known and most well-funded animal welfare groups were behaving inappropriately/abusively toward female staff.
Sadly, very few repercussions came from this—the men in question were quietly shuffled out of the organizations, and few people are willing to talk about what happened, out of the fear that doing so could harm the cause of animal welfare. Indeed, the few voices willing to discuss the behavior openly and name names belong to people often considered “outsiders;” they’re not in the habit of shilling for any particular groups and are not afraid to call out when the behavior of said groups doesn’t align with humane values.
THE VEGAN MATRIX recounts this debacle (without naming names or giving identifying details) and the responses to it, with the goal of understanding how and why such a thing could happen, and how it can be prevented in the future. Joy explains why it’s important for animal advocates to take an intersectional view—reiterating the mantra that “no one is free while others remain oppressed.” Likewise, people who are working for the betterment of one group should not do so while oppressing other groups. The audience for this book will be vegans and those currently working in organizations to advance animal protection or other social change.
There are indeed some animal/vegan advocacy organizations that have embraced intersectionality and work hard to engage all communities without putting anyone down or making them feel excluded. There are some other big groups that seem determined to forge on ahead on a course plotted years or decades ago, no matter what blowback they’re getting, even if these policies are actually proving harmful to animals (and humans.)
This book combines both topics in its focus on a series of incidents that rocked the animal advocacy community within the past few years—the revelation that a number of the male leaders in some of the best-known and most well-funded animal welfare groups were behaving inappropriately/abusively toward female staff.
Sadly, very few repercussions came from this—the men in question were quietly shuffled out of the organizations, and few people are willing to talk about what happened, out of the fear that doing so could harm the cause of animal welfare. Indeed, the few voices willing to discuss the behavior openly and name names belong to people often considered “outsiders;” they’re not in the habit of shilling for any particular groups and are not afraid to call out when the behavior of said groups doesn’t align with humane values.
THE VEGAN MATRIX recounts this debacle (without naming names or giving identifying details) and the responses to it, with the goal of understanding how and why such a thing could happen, and how it can be prevented in the future. Joy explains why it’s important for animal advocates to take an intersectional view—reiterating the mantra that “no one is free while others remain oppressed.” Likewise, people who are working for the betterment of one group should not do so while oppressing other groups. The audience for this book will be vegans and those currently working in organizations to advance animal protection or other social change.
There are indeed some animal/vegan advocacy organizations that have embraced intersectionality and work hard to engage all communities without putting anyone down or making them feel excluded. There are some other big groups that seem determined to forge on ahead on a course plotted years or decades ago, no matter what blowback they’re getting, even if these policies are actually proving harmful to animals (and humans.)
May 10, 2024
Very useful reading, especially about why some people are moving into this lifestyle if I can call it that. I am interested mostly because of my health while many people, the younger generation are becoming vegan for more than that, I can see and appreciate that, why? Because they are still young and strong while I am on my way out...getting closer to my 70s.
Veganism is way more than just not eating meat and milk products, is much, much more. I hope people start to experience life from a vegan perspective so that they too can see the benefits for us and our world.
However, do not take my word--go ahead and get this book and read it, you will be glad you did.
Veganism is way more than just not eating meat and milk products, is much, much more. I hope people start to experience life from a vegan perspective so that they too can see the benefits for us and our world.
However, do not take my word--go ahead and get this book and read it, you will be glad you did.
September 9, 2021
A must-read for those considering veganism, new to veganism, or have been a long-time vegan. If you have ever felt curious, angry, upset, dumbfounded by how others approach veganism, you're not alone. I struggle with communicating effectively and this book provided a solid framework for how to create meaningful connections with non-vegans. The author applies the concepts to other forms of systemic oppression which I found helpful and insightful.
January 28, 2021
Un po' troppo accondiscendente per i miei gusti, ma al mondo servono anche le persone che sanno frenarci. Lo consiglio a chi vuole mettere in pratica (ci sono vari punti strategici pratici) un'idea di intersezionalità che si interroga costantemente.
Probabilmente tra qualche mese lo rileggo, i punti pratici non sono così pochi da essere immediatamente assimilati.
Probabilmente tra qualche mese lo rileggo, i punti pratici non sono così pochi da essere immediatamente assimilati.
November 29, 2021
The Vegan Matrix is a useful, easy-to-read introduction to privilege, which has really helped me understand why it's important for me to examine my own privilege and reflect my recognition of privilege in my advocacy work. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in any kind of advocacy work, especially those in the vegan movement.
November 19, 2022
Excellent discussion on veganism and its place in helping build a more compassionate world, asking people who self identify as vegans to extend that compassion to other humans as well as to the other animals and the environment.
May 17, 2024
3.5 🌟 This book was more about privilege generally than it was about veganism, which was still insightful, just not what I was expecting.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews