Animal Rights/Human Rights [Paperback]

David Nibert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002 | ISBN-10: 0742517764 | ISBN-13: 978-0742517769 | Edition: 1st

This accessible and cutting-edge work offers a new look at the history of western "civilization," one that brings into focus the interrelated suffering of oppressed humans and other animals. Nibert argues persuasively that throughout history the exploitation of other animals has gone hand in hand with the oppression of women, people of color, and other oppressed groups. He maintains that the oppression both of humans and of other species of animals is inextricably tangled within the structure of social arrangements. Nibert asserts that human use and mistreatment of other animals are not natural and do little to further the human condition.

Nibert's analysis emphasizes the economic and elite-driven character of prejudice, discrimination, and institutionalized repression of humans and other animals. His examination of the economic entanglements of the oppression of human and other animals is supplemented with an analysis of ideological forces and the use of state power in this sociological expose of the grotesque uses of the oppressed, past and present. Nibert suggests that the liberation of devalued groups of humans is unlikely in a world that uses other animals as fodder for the continual growth and expansion of transnational corporations and, conversely, that animal liberation cannot take place when humans continue to be exploited and oppressed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The unbridled capitalism of the petrochemical-pharmaceutical, medical, and agricultural and energy industrial complexes, combined with the military and other government and nongovernmental establishments and organizations, has created a huge market and much wealth out of the exploitation and degradation of human and other life, harming the soil, our food, our health, and our quality of life. . . . This brilliant and well-referenced book, long overdue, is an incisive critque of the global problematique of Western civilization and the American way. (Michael W. Fox )

This book should be essentail reading for all undergraduate students in the sciences and the humanities. David Nibert helps show us the way to a more humane and visable future. (Michael W. Fox )

A groundbreaking study of the interrelated oppressions of humans and other animals; rich in historical context, well-researched and well-written, a compelling revelation. (Parenti, Michael )

We live no separate history--oppression and denial harm both workers and the other animals. Yet common oppressions present an uncommon challenge. David Nibert moves the analysis to the next step with Animal Rights/Human Rights. In these pages are important insights, urgent connections, and a vital, liberating theory. (Adams, Carol )

Nibert presents a highly provocative, engaging, and accessible discussion of how capitalism has commodified the interests of both humans and nonhumans, and that the 'freedom' supposedly provided by capitalism results in the oppression of us all. The animal rights movement--particularly in the United States--has largely ignored the economic underpinnings of animal exploitation. And American progressives have largely ignored the issue of animal rights. Nibert's book is essential reading for both groups. (Gary L. Francione )

Is capitalism all that it's cracked up to be? Or is something wrong when kids (who can afford to) can explore the whole universe over the Internet, yet are not safe enough to walk their own neighborhood streets? When a man who can entertain himself (and does) with all manner of techno-gadgetry, takes 'time out' to shoot deer and doves for fun? Thoughtful, engaging, and filled with gripping examples from the history books of how prejudice and economic bullying can create true misery for the have-nots of any race, gender, or species. Far more than dinner table discussion, this is food for progressive thought. (Ingrid Newkirk )

About the Author

David Nibert is a former tenant organizer and community activist who is now associate professor of sociology at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He is author of Hitting the Lottery Jackpot: State Governments and the Taxing of Dreams (Monthly Review Press, 2000) and articles in such journals as Critical Sociology, Society & Animals, and Race, Gender & Class.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 1st edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742517764
• ISBN-13: 978-0742517769
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone concerned with equality..., October 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Animal Rights/Human Rights (Paperback)

David Nibert does a wonderful job of using social theory to explain animal oppression and show the ties of animal oppression to the institution of capitalism. He enhances his topic by showing how the oppression of animals is deeply entangled with the oppression of humans based on ethnicity, gender, and social class. Using a slightly modified version of Donald Noel's theory of ethnic stratification, Nibert clearly maps out his ideas concerning the oppression of non-human animals. He covers all aspects of oppression, ranging from the truths behind flesh consumption to the use of animals in vivosects. His topics then expand to show how the autrocities committed against animals then lead to, and help support, the oppression of humans.
This book is a must for anyone concerned with animal rights AND human rights. Equality will not come from seperate movements fighting for one cause. Coming together, and realizing that the cause being fought for is universal and spans the bridge between humans and animals, is the only way to make progess. David Nibert makes this issue painfully clear.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important addition to animal ethics scholarship, August 18, 2004

By 

boogabagga - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Rights/Human Rights (Hardcover)

Whereas a large portion of the scholarship regarding humans' ethical responsibilities towards animals has focused on the roles and morality of the individual - this book takes a sociological perspective in order to express a direct correlation between the systematic exploitation of humans and other animals. It is the same sort of attitudes and social norms which cause humans to promote and sustain oppresive systems towards all subjects of a life, and Nibert's book does an excellent job of chronicling this reality.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking Study of Systemic Oppression, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Animal Rights/Human Rights (Paperback)

While I was familiar with historical episodes of oppression and violence, I never really connected the dots to see how many of these events were related and largely motivated by greed and avarice. I was opposed to cruel treatment of animals, but I did not realize the connections between their treatment and human oppression until reading this book. This book opened my eyes to the structural causes of oppression (and motivated me to become a vegetarian). I highly recommend it.