Veganism in Abrahamic Religion: An Exploration of the Everyday Experience of Jewish, Christian and Muslim Vegans in Late Modern Britain
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: School of Social Sciences
Abstract
Veganism is widely discussed in contemporary society, both in the media and increasingly academia too, however studies generally focus more so on the secular context, whilst the religious context remains poorly studied. My research therefore seeks to fill this gap by exploring the everyday experiences of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim vegans in the UK. I am interested in exploring how these individuals navigate both their vegan and religious lives, how they understand veganism within the context of religion, and what their everyday practices look like, for example how do they navigate rituals, what is their experience like when attending events, what foods do they eat, and so on. I focus on these three religions as they all share Abrahamic roots and so consequently have much overlap in core beliefs and philosophies. Abrahamic religion is also often associated with meat-eating and animal agriculture, so it makes for an interesting context in which to explore veganism. I hope that my research will bring to light many key points that are currently neglected in both vegan and religious discussions. This in turn should hopefully foster more meaningful conversations between religious individuals and vegan activists. This is a qualitative study, employing a range of methods, including interviews, diary methods, and participant observation.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Bindi Shah (Primary Supervisor) | |
Ellen Atayee-Bennett (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
2120551 | Studentship | ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2018 | 02/06/2023 | Ellen Atayee-Bennett |
Description | Presentation at PGR Forum, University of York |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I presented my research at a PGR Forum at the University of York which was in attendance by approximately 20 PGR students. My research garnered many questions and much interest from audience members. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation for BSA SocRel Annual Conference 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | I presented my research at the BSA's SocRel (Sociology of Religion) Annual Conference. My presentation was online and attended by around 30 academics/PGRs. I networked with a couple of individuals but there was not much impact beyond that. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation for IAVS Annual Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | I presented my research at the International Association for Vegan Sociologists' Annual Conference which was online. It was attended by an international audience with members in the UK, USA, Australia, and Poland. Audience members were either PGRs or academics. One American academic asked to connect with me and an Australian academic expressed an interest in including my future publications in her module reading list. As with the other events, there was considerable interest and lots of questions asked. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Webinar for The Vegan Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Supporters |
Results and Impact | I gave a webinar on my research for The Vegan Society. It had one of the best sign ups rates with around 60-70 sign ups and was one of their best attended webinars. There was considerable interest, lots of questions asked, and acquaintances made. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |