The Human and the Meat : Animal Domination in Capitalist Societies

Abstract

Over 85 billion animals are killed in slaughterhouses yearly to sustain a profit-driven meat production system – devastating animals, workers, and the environment. How did we get here? How has capitalist society reshaped human-animal relations? Elaborating a novel materialist and intersectional framework, Chiara Stefanoni conceptualizes the social form of human-animal relations and its centrality within the interconnected structure of domination in capitalist societies, especially in relation to gender and class. Through a historical analysis of industrial slaughterhouses, the study reveals how the human/animal divide and meat-based diet are not timeless facts, but concrete social solutions crucial for the reproduction of capitalist society.