The L.I.A. shares here a series of lectures and seminars that it considers essential and that are likely to change your views on veganism and anti-speciesism and the strategies used to fight for their implementation.
NB : The conferences listed below are in French, but YouTube offers the option to generate subtitles in other languages.
Should we be part of the system in order to change it, or challenge it from the outside? Is radicalism a driver of change or a divisive trap? Can we fight without betraying ourselves? This episode starts from a simple observation: tensions between reformist militancy and radical activism run through all struggles – climate, anti-racism, feminism, social justice.
Using historical and contemporary examples, from Lenin to Malcolm X, Greta Thunberg to Bourdieu, we explore the complex dynamics of activism: postures, strategies, side effects, internal conflicts… and grey areas. With one question in mind: how can we take action without losing ourselves? And above all, how can we bring about change in a world that resists it? An episode for those who struggle, doubt, search, fall and start again. Not to be missed!
As part of the 4th edition of Sentience Fortnight, the Meduses Project is organising an online round table on the theme of ‘Green discourse: where are the animals?’ The discussion will examine the invisibility of non-human animals in certain ecological, environmentalist and ‘living’ discourses and its impact on the victims of speciesism.
With Jean-Marc Gancille, Lyla M. (‘Raie futée’) and Victor Duran-Le Peuch.
A pertinent deconstruction of speciesist language, to be read in conjunction with Marie-Claude Marsolier’s book: ‘Le mépris des bêtes’ (Contempt for Animals). Essential reading!
One might legitimately expect political ecology to be at least sympathetic to and an ally of the fight against speciesism. However, an intellectual movement centred around the concept of “life”, which is gaining influence within French-speaking ecological thought, is in fact ideologically opposed to the fight for animal liberation. The aim of this conference is to analyse the sources of the unapologetic speciesism of these thinkers of life.
How can we compare the interests and capacities for well-being between different species? Should these interests be ranked according to species, or would this be an unjustified and debunkable speciesist bias? This lecture aims to clarify what we mean when we talk about comparisons and hierarchies between species, by identifying three distinct debates that overlap with these questions and providing an overview of current research addressing each of these debates.
“Sentience is the ability to have positive or negative experiences, to feel things subjectively. It is a concept that is still relatively unknown, not always well defined and often misunderstood… Yet it is a fundamental notion that is set to become much more important in our ethical, social and political thinking in the years to come. ‘ For this conference, organised as part of ’Sentience Month” by the animal rights group EVA of the university association for ecological solidarity at UNIL and EPFL Unipoly (unipoly.ch), and the philosophy association EPphilo at EPFL, Victor Duran-Le Peuch (podcaster for Comme Un Poisson Dans l’Eau) demystifies sentience, summarising the most important things to know about it in ten concise ideas!
The REV held its first UniREVcités summer event, featuring a dozen conferences and an association village. This event marked a high point for our radical, anti-liberal and anti-speciesist ecological party ahead of an ambitious new political season.
During the first edition of Sentience Fortnight, the Medusa Project organised a Twitter Space entirely dedicated to sentience and sentientism! You can now watch this fascinating round table discussion. We discussed questions such as: • What are sentience and sentientism? • How can we determine who is sentient? • How relevant is the criterion of sentience in the moral consideration we give to an individual? • What are the implications for humanism, anthropocentrism and biocentrism? …And many more! With the participation of: • Florence Dellerie – Lyla, Orlando H-Benta, • Victor Duran-Le Peuch, YohannHoarau and Jihem Doe & Rimuru as facilitators, and Takara as moderator.
Everything you need to know about speciesism.
What if anti-speciesists were right? What would that mean for our societies? Can we simply ‘leave animals alone’? Or should we rather rethink our categories of citizenship to envisage a mixed human-animal society? We will discuss Zoopolis, a classic work of literature on animal rights.
This gastronomic fiction is loosely based on a classic thought experiment in philosophy. It is outlined in ‘Zoopolis’ by Sue Davidson and Will Kymlicka, where these aliens are called ‘Telepaths’. This hilarious video will help you understand what speciesism is.
Within the animal rights movement, activists tend to be very critical of animal eaters, and sometimes even vegetarians. We do not want to collaborate with these people because it would be inconsistent for them to campaign for an end to animal exploitation while contributing financially to it. And consistency is important, isn’t it? The aim of this presentation is to challenge the idea that we don’t need these people to campaign with us. It will address topics such as consistency, the pursuit of personal purity and the negative impact they have on our movement and, consequently, on animals. Fabien Truffer is spokesperson and activist for the association PEA – Pour l’Égalité Animale (For Animal Equality). Is it his training as a lawyer that makes him sometimes like to play devil’s advocate? Perhaps…Not to be missed!
The animal rights movement is complex. Several ideological and strategic currents coexist and sometimes clash. Should we favour education, confrontation, or political action? What would be the effects? Are these strategies mutually exclusive? While animal rights issues have long been the preserve of moral philosophy, more and more political scientists are taking an interest in them. This academic shift has been accompanied by the growing politicisation of certain actors within the movement, who seek not only to change individual behaviour, but also the rules of society. Why? And how? What examples of political success can be found abroad? Animal rights activists are not the only ones taking action. In some countries, the movement faces various forms of repression and counter-mobilisation: what are they? What are their goals? Who are the actors involved? Melvin Josse is a PhD student in political science at the University of Leicester and author of Militantisme, politique et droits des animaux (Activism, Politics and Animal Rights). Don’t miss it!