Critical Animal Studies and Theory Oppression Malev(i)olence

This book argues that the hunting, capturing, and killing of other animals led to the formation of a violent and predacious form of masculinity, resulting in human oppression, warfare, and deadly capitalist-driven colonization and imperialism. While the dominant cultural narrative depicts the history of hunting, capturing, and killing of other animals as beneficial for human development, historical and contemporary evidence shows otherwise. This book reveals that the human practice of stalking, killing, exploiting, and eating other animals led to the social construction of a malev(i)olent and predacious form of masculinity and the start of human social stratification and oppression. Thereafter the course of human social development was placed on a deformative trajectory, leading to warfare, the emergence of deadly zoonotic disease, and terrorist-based colonial and imperialist orders. Primarily spread throughout the world by way of European conquests, and leading to the rise of capitalism, hunting and this violent and rapacious form of masculinity is continually promoted as ideal training for warfare and global domination, especially in the United States. As US-driven global violence and destruction accelerates in the 21st century, challenges to this dominant form of masculinity and its caustic capitalist progeny are essential for creating a peaceful and sustainable world.