The Animal Rights Struggle ─ An Essay in Historical Sociology

Since the early nineteenth century, numerous campaigns have denounced the mistreatment of animals. This book compares the British and French histories of the animal-protection movement to retrace its origins and impact up to the present day. As Christophe Traini shows, the struggle for animal rights—inextricably linked to the rise of philanthropy and established long before the birth of the ecology movement—developed out of several important social and political processes, including changes in sensibilities and socially approved emotions, new definitions of what constitutes legitimate violence, and the influence of religious beliefs.

Christophe Traini is professor of political science at the Institute of Political Science in Aix-en-Provence.