Think Like a Vegan

Ever been told an animal is a "problem"? From the deer in our backyards and the pigeons in our cities to the elephants on their ancestral lands, we constantly label other species as pests, nuisances, and issues to be solved. But what if the real problem isn't the animal themselves, but the way we choose to see them?In this episode, Claudia Hirtenfelder, host of the acclaimed podcast The Animal Turn and a brilliant geographer, unravels the surprising process of how we "make" animals into problems. She introduces her powerful concept of "problematization" — the social and historical system where animals are first labelled as a problem in our laws and conversations, and then managed, or even removed, because of it.We'll explore the consequences of this labeling and discover how this framework explains not just the history of cows in one Canadian city, but the global stories of creatures from coyotes and badgers to sea gulls and squirrels. Get ready to have your perspective flipped. Tune in to ask the critical question: When we call an animal a problem, what are we really saying about ourselves?Website/Socials & Books:Claudia HirtenfelderPodcast: https://www.theanimalturnpodcast.com    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-hirtenfelder-a360241a  Article: "An analytical framework to understand the problematization of urban (historical) animals" https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/25148486241281227 Other linksVienna Animal Studies Group: https://www.viennaanimalstudies.com Phoenix Zones: https://www.phoenixzonesinitiative.org Transformation Austria: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10009315345939 Wild crows inhabiting the city use it to their advantage - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife https://youtu.be/BGPGknpq3e0?si=HVn4TpZuTJWOcFTG  Straying Home: A film essay with urban animals https://youtu.be/kfITJ9zDU5w?si=LKHljLvR2nFjt3ne by just wondering https://justwondering.io/beyond-speciesism-beyond-humanism-beyond/ "Turkey's street-living dogs: Thoughts in light of Turkey's controversial 'adoption' law", by Emilia Leese https://open.substack.com/pub/emilialeese/p/turkeys-street-living-dogs Emi Leesehttps://emilialeese.substack.com       http://thinklikeavegan.com        http://emilialeese.com       Instagram @emi.leese YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thinklikeavegan/videos     CreditsHost: Emilia A. Leese Guest: Claudia HirtenfelderProduction & Engineering: Jim Moore of Bloody Vegans Productions; https://www.bloodyvegansproductions.com      Graphics: Catherine Dorrell https://www.messyvegancook.com      MusicOpening theme: “Flashbacks” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business Interlude: "No Time" by Matthew GerstenbergerClosing theme: “Tear Things Up” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessThis podcast is part of iROAR, the Animals Podcasting Network https://iroarpod.com   

Join me for a conversation with scholar-activist Amanda Williams as we dismantle the idea of "adult supremacy" and connect it to the broader fight for total liberation. Amanda shows us how our first lessons in power often start with controlling children, and how to turn that awareness into tangible action for a more compassionate world.Website/Socials & BooksAmanda WilliamsLinktree: https://linktr.ee/amandarwilliamsBooks by Amanda: The Overprivileged Human; What Can I Do?; Exploring Topics in Non/Human CoexistenceFree Frankie pressure campaign: https://www.kcactionforanimals.org/ Recommended books: Raising our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort; Unconditional Parenting by Alfie KohnOther links"Ten Unschooling Boogeymen And How They're All NBD", by Agni Hogaboom https://buymeacoffee.com/agnihogaboom/ten-unschooling-boogeymen "Unschooling For Parents Who Don't Unschool", by Agni Hogaboom https://buymeacoffee.com/agnihogaboom/unschooling-for-parents-who-don-unschool-761293 Emi Leesehttps://emilialeese.substack.com      http://thinklikeavegan.com       http://emilialeese.com      Instagram @emi.leese YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thinklikeavegan/videos    CreditsHost: Emilia A. Leese Guest: Amanda WilliamsProduction & Engineering: Jim Moore of Bloody Vegans Productions; https://www.bloodyvegansproductions.com     Graphics: Catherine Dorrell https://www.messyvegancook.com     MusicOpening theme: “Flashbacks” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business Interlude: "Mushi" by Matthew GerstenbergerClosing theme: “Tear Things Up” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessThis podcast is part of iROAR, the Animals Podcasting Network https://iroarpod.com     

What happens when a folklorist goes inside vegan and animal rights communities, not as an outsider looking in, but as someone documenting their lived beliefs? Dr. Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran joins me to discuss her research in St. John’s and Toronto, where she explores veganism as a counter-hegemonic tradition and activism as performative resistance. We delve into how media and academia often misrepresent these movements and why insider voices matter. From Gramsci to grassroots protest, this conversation challenges the idea speciesism is just common sense and asks what justice really sounds like when dissent speaksWebsite/socialsDr. Ceallaigh MacCath-Moranhttps://csmaccath.com/home PhD dissertation https://research.library.mun.ca/16537/Your Vegan Fallacy Is https://yourveganfallacyis.com/en https://linktr.ee/csmaccath Other links"What's wrong with carnism?" by Dr Corey Wrenn https://www.coreyleewrenn.com/carnism/ Emi Leesehttps://emilialeese.substack.com     http://thinklikeavegan.com      http://emilialeese.com     Instagram @emi.leeseYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thinklikeavegan/videos   CreditsHost: Emilia A. Leese Guest: Dr. Ceallaigh S. MacCath-MoranProduction & Engineering: Jim Moore of Bloody Vegans Productions; https://www.bloodyvegansproductions.com    Graphics: Catherine Dorrell https://www.messyvegancook.com    MusicOpening theme: “Flashbacks” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business Interlude: "Kawa" music by Matthew Gerstenberger and voice by ChiyakoClosing theme: “Tear Things Up” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessThis podcast is part of iROAR, the Animals Podcasting Network https://iroarpod.com   

Roger Yates, a longtime animal rights firebrand, sociologist, and movement historian, cracks open veganism’s radical past. This isn’t just about diet or ethics. It’s about a revolutionary philosophy of total liberation challenging everything. Yates doesn’t just talk theory, he connects the dots to today’s movement in a way that’ll make you reconsider what “vegan” even means. Spoiler: It’s bigger than what you’ve been sold.Strap in. This one’s for the thinkers, the rebels, and anyone who believes justice must be pro-intersectional. History isn’t just background noise; it’s fuel.P.S. If you’ve ever argued about “militant vegans” or “the vegan agenda”… oh, you’ll want to hear this.Website/socialsRoger Yates' YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@RogerYates/streamsSubstack: https://substack.com/@drrogeryatesInstagram @roger_yates1TikTok roger_yatesThe Social Construction of Human Beings and Other Animals in Human-Nonhuman Relations https://rogeryatesphd.blogspot.com/Blog https://onhumanrelationswithothersentientbeings.weebly.com/Emi Leesehttps://emilialeese.substack.comhttp://thinklikeavegan.comhttp://emilialeese.comInstagram @emi.leeseYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thinklikeavegan/videosCreditsHost: Emilia A. LeeseGuest: Roger YatesProduction & Engineering: Jim Moore of Bloody Vegans Productions; https://www.bloodyvegansproductions.comGraphics: Catherine Dorrell https://www.messyvegancook.comMusicOpening theme: “Flashbacks” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessInterlude: "I Used to Do Lots of Things" by Matthew GerstenbergerClosing theme: “Tear Things Up” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessThis podcast is part of iROAR, the Animals Podcasting Network https://iroarpod.com

Vance Lehmkhul is a vegan renaissance man: writer, journalist, cartoonist, and now, a vegan history detective. His book Revolutionary Peace cracks open the wild, untold story of how Philadelphia became the unlikely birthplace of America’s vegetarian and vegan revolt.This isn’t just a history lesson. It's a street-level view of radical thinkers who saw food as revolution. We’re talking 18th-century Quakers, 19th-century anarchists, feminist firebrands, and proto-vegan agitators who linked animal liberation to every fight for justice.Lehmkhul’s work proves something urgent: veganism was never just about diet — it was always political warfare. If you think today’s movements are divisive? Wait till you hear about the original plant-based rebels who scared the hell out of the status quo.This one is for all history nerds, activists, and anyone tired of watered-down veganism. LinksVance Lehmkhul http://www.vegcast.com/vance/ Revolutionary Peace: How Philadelphia Launched the US Vegetarian and Vegan Movementhttps://americanvegan.org/product/revolutionary-peace/ Veg History Walking Tours https://americanvegan.org/veg-history-walking-tours/ American Vegan Center https://americanvegan.org/avc/ American Vegan Society https://americanvegan.org The Return of Benjamin Lay https://www.benjaminlayplay.com Emi Leesehttps://emilialeese.substack.com http://thinklikeavegan.com http://emilialeese.com Instagram @emi.leeseYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thinklikeavegan/videos CreditsHost: Emilia A. Leese Guest: Vance LehmkhulProduction & Engineering: Jim Moore of Bloody Vegans Productions; https://www.bloodyvegansproductions.com Graphics: Catherine Dorrell https://www.messyvegancook.com MusicOpening theme: “Flashbacks” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business Interlude: "Dappling" by Matthew GerstenbergerClosing theme: “Tear Things Up” by Jenny Moore’s Mystic BusinessThis podcast is part of iROAR, the Animals Podcasting Network https://iroarpod.com