Product Description

The animal liberation movement is growing in size and strength -- but so are the industries that exploit animals. These industries have vastly more resources at their disposal than activists do. Given this tremendous power differential, how can activists hope to compete? The good news is that there is a way to shift the balance of power in favor of the movement. And strategy is the way.

In Strategic Action for Animals, Melanie Joy explains how to use strategy to exponentially increase the effectiveness of activism for animals. Drawing on diverse movements and sources, she offers tried and true tactics based on well-established principles and practices. She also explains how to address the most common problems that weaken the movement, such as dissidence among organizations and activists, inefficient campaigns, wasted resources, and high rates of burnout. Whether you're working alone or with a group, whether you're a seasoned activist or new to the movement, Strategic Action for Animals can help you make the most of your efforts to make the world a better place for animals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317729 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
"A useful guide for improving our advocacy skills as well as working toward building a stronger movement." -- Erica Meier, Executive Director, Compassion Over Killing

"A useful guide for improving our advocacy skills as well as working toward building a stronger movement." -- Erica Meier, Executive Director, Compassion Over Killing

"I heartily recommend this book. Joy makes a strong case that animal advocates should seek, as Gandhi said, to bring opponents to their senses and not their knees." -- Gene Baur, author of Farm Sanctuary

"Is it really possible that we've had to wait three decades since the launch of the modern animal liberation movement for such a brilliant book on strategy?" --Zoe Weil, president of the Institute for Humane Education and author of Most Good, Least Harm

"I heartily recommend this book. Joy makes a strong case that animal advocates should seek, as Gandhi said, to bring opponents to their senses and not their knees." -- Gene Baur, author of Farm Sanctuary

"Is it really possible that we've had to wait three decades since the launch of the modern animal liberation movement for such a brilliant book on strategy?" -- Zoe Weil, president of the Institute for Humane Education and author of Most Good, Least Harm

About the Author
Melanie Joy is a social psychologist, professor, and personal coach. She has been involved in the animal liberation movement since 1989 and has worked as an activist, educator, and organizer. Her academic areas of specialization include the psychosociology of violence toward animals and humans and organizational behavior. She has written a number of articles and has been interviewed for magazines, books, and radio on her work. She teaches Psychology and Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and a Master's Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Customer Reviews

A Fantastic Book for People Who Want to Help Animals
Melanie Joy's book Strategic Action for Animals is basically all the wisdom of the animal movement distilled into 160 pages. Joy's practical take on activism, her focus on the reality of our fight and not on the theoretical, will help both new and experienced activists find their way towards effective advocacy. She covers many of the hangups we face when organizing groups of people or campaigns and offers solutions to them. This book is not only a refreshing read, but a great resource for those who want to do all they can to help animals.

Become the Change!
THANKING THE MONKEY: RETHINKING THE WAY WE TREAT ANIMALS. STRIKING AT THE ROOTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ANIMAL ACTIVISM. FARM SANCTUARY: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT ANIMALS AND FOOD. SKINNY BITCH...IN A BOX. With all the recent popular releases on the topic of animal advocacy, 2008 feels as though it's shaping up to be the year of the veg*n. (Even Oprah's getting into the act, y'all!)

Social psychologist Melanie Joy joins the conversation with her first book, STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS: A HANDBOOK ON STRATEGIC MOVEMENT BUILDING, ORGANIZING, AND ACTIVISM FOR ANIMAL LIBERATION. Joy's goal is simple: to encourage fellow activists to maximize their effectiveness, by carefully weighing, analyzing, and strategizing their activism. Because the animal liberation movement will never have more money or (entrenched) power than the corporate and political forces we're fighting, the only way we can triumph is through strategy.

A "strategic movement," Joy explains, is one which thinks globally, but acts locally. Before engaging in a piece of activism, animal advocates must think about how the action will impact the animal liberation movement as a whole. Additionally, every isolated piece of activism must be considered in relation to those that precede and succeed it. Every lofty goal is comprised of a series of minute steps or tasks; instead of shooting for the stars and burning out before takeoff, animal activists must set reasonable goals and embark on a carefully mapped journey. Such meticulously crafted plans take time, dedication - and strategy, strategy, strategy!

Part of "strategic activism" involves diversity: in individual activists, in the goals and approaches of various animal liberation campaigns and organizations, in the messages employed and the demographics targeted.

Citing Bill Moyer's DOING DEMOCRACY, Joy describes the "different types of activists and organizations that work simultaneously and in different roles": the Citizen - "the upstanding member of society, the one to whom the mainstream can easily relate"; the Reformer - who "may or may not be more radical than the Citizen"..."he or she typically works in a professional opposition organization"; and the Rebel - who "is more confrontational, participating in rallies and perhaps civil disobedience". As examples of each, Joy offers up the SPCA, the PCRM and ALDF, and PETA, respectively.

Joy touches upon several controversial topics in her discussion, namely "mainstreaming" the movement, the use of violent vs. non-violent tactics, the abolition/reform divide, and coalition building, particularly in relation to intersecting or parallel oppressions. While I don't wholeheartedly agree with her perspective on the first three issues, I'm both happy and grateful for her emphasis on intersecting "isms". Too often, animal advocates must deal with speciesism in other social justice movements; yet, I've also encountered a disturbing amount of misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism and sizeism among animal activists. Activists of all stripes must accept that these forms of oppression are all related - and in order to defeat one, you must defeat them all.

Many of the suggestions within STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS are geared towards grassroots animal advocacy organizations rather than individual activists. For example, you'll find chapters on organizing and managing a grassroots organization, developing and waging successful campaigns, and maintaining the health of your employees, volunteers and organization. Since it's a rather slim volume, I thought the book could have covered the topics of time management, conflict resolution and leadership a bit more, rather than referring the reader to additional resources. However, for organizations, it's a useful starting point for building a successful, long-lasting animal advocacy group. If you're in a position of leadership in an animal advocacy organization (or are thinking about starting your own group), I recommend reading STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS in conjunction with pattrice jones's AFTERSHOCK, also from Lantern Books.

Individual activists will also enjoy STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS. If you're looking to volunteer for (or work with) an animal advocacy group, you can use the lessons in STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS to "shop around" for the right group for you - a sustainable, strategic group with a cooperative (vs. competitive) power structure that will value both your hard work as well as your personal wellness.

For fellow activists, I recommend STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS along with AFTERSHOCK and perhaps Mark Hawthorne's STRIKING AT THE ROOTS. Whereas STRATEGIC ACTION FOR ANIMALS concentrates on movement-building, STRIKING AT THE ROOTS offers a number of specific types of activism that the individual can engage in, either alone or as part of a group.

A True Inspiration for any Animal Activist
"Strategic Action for Animals" is more than a handbook, but rather a fundamental treasure that will guide any animal activist. This book articulates and outlines a crucial component to the movement - - strategy. The Animal Liberation Movement could become overwhelming, challenging and disheartening at times. However, Strategic Action provides a step-by-step "game plan" and illustrates the principles of strategy, to become more effective and efficient in the movement.

As an animal activist and lifelong animal friend, I found this book to be honest, positive and inspirational. Dr. Melanie Joy is a true inspiration to activists everywhere and has become a key player in the Animal Liberation Movement. Her work is profound and empowers even the youngest of activists to believe in oneself to achieve anything.

Strategic Action, through and through has an unforgettable positive tone that inspires the reader to become empowered by the movement to reach what Joy states as "sustainable activism." I highly recommend this book and believe that its a must for anyone that loves animals and believes in the power of their liberation.