Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation

Description: This panel, all contributors to Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights (Peter Lang, 2024), delves into the intricate web of exploitation prevalent across various sectors of labor, ranging from meatpacking and slaughterhouses to the seemingly altruistic realms of the non-profit industrial complex. By examining these intersections, the panel aims to shed light on the multifaceted dimensions of exploitation affecting nonhuman animals, humans, and the Earth itself. Drawing on diverse perspectives and expertise, panelists will explore the systemic injustices inherent in contemporary labor practices. From the exploitation of animal bodies in industrial agriculture to the often-overlooked exploitation of marginalized human laborers, this discussion will uncover the interconnectedness of these issues and their profound impacts on individuals, communities, and ecosystems. Moreover, the panel will not only analyze the existing structures of exploitation but also envision alternative, liberatory futures. By engaging in critical dialogue and imaginative speculation, participants will collectively imagine pathways towards more equitable, compassionate, and sustainable forms of labor and existence. Presenters: Akbar Ali (panel moderator) is an activist based in Denver who has worked on issues related to animal liberation and human rights for most of his professional career. A vegan activist for the last decade, he has worked for animal rights organizations such as APEX Advocacy, Legal Impact for Chickens, and Mercy For Animals. He graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in English & American Literature and is currently a 1L at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Dan Fischer is a middle and Hebrew school teacher and a volunteer with Food Not Bombs, New Politics, and Promoting Enduring Peace. He can be reached at dfischer@riseup.net. Zane McNeill is a scholar-activist from West Virginia and has published edited collections with Lantern Publishing & Media, PM Press, University Press of Kentucky, and Routledge. Drew Robert Winter is Managing Editor of the Political Animals section at the journal Society & Animals, co-founder of the Animal Politics Collective, and adjunct instructor in Anthropology and Sociology at Lansing Community College. He is interested in human-animal relationships within the context of infrastructures and cultural production, especially in Scandinavia. He received his PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Rice University in 2020, studying how cultural attitudes toward the meat industry inhibit climate policy in Denmark. Nathan Poirier, although hostile towards the academic industrial complex, has a PhD in sociology, with graduate specializations in (critical) animal studies and women’s & gender studies. Nathan’s dissertation analyzes and critiques in vitro meat from vegan and critical animal studies perspectives. Nathan co-edited the book Emerging New Voices in Critical Animal Studies: Vegan Studies for Total Liberation (2022). Nathan currently labors as a tutor at Lansing Community College. S. Marek Muller is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Texas State University. They study arguments pertaining to human/nonhuman animal liberation and the social constructions of humanity/animality.