Digital activism and positionality of vegan narratives on Instagram

A study of the Afro Vegan Cultural Movement in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46269/2238-3069.09

Keywords:

Afro-vegan; Virtual Activism; Lifestyle; Social Movement.

Abstract

Vegan activism has intensified in recent years, as well as presenting multiple configurations in different realities of interaction and as diffuse manifestations in terms of agendas and actions. It is in this perspective that the Afro Vegan Movement in Brazil is inserted. The objective here is to understand how the struggles for the visibility of the black vegan population are built, supported by the right of existence and food autonomy of these peoples. The analysis was of 23 user profiles on Instagram linked to the movement. As a partial result, the study points to the consolidation of an alternative within veganisms that guides the food condition and lifestyle as strategies in the promotion of human and animal freedoms. The central focus adopted by Afrovegan activism is on social inequalities related to food, seeking to problematize issues of race, class and gender in veganisms and general food systems. In addition, Afroveganism has fought for food justice and equity, promoting the need to expand practices and routines related to the sustainability of food systems.

 

Keywords: Afro Vegan. Digital Activism. Cultural Movement.

Author Biography

Arthur Saldanha dos Santos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Em pós-doutoramento na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Doutor em Sociologia pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Mestre em Sociedade, Ambiente e Território pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) em associação com a Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (UNIMONTES). Bacharel em Humanidades pela Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM). Participou da Equipe Editorial da Revista Contraponto (Revista Discente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia da UFRGS), de 2019 a 2021. Entre 2020 e 2021 participou do Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Agricultura, Alimentação e Desenvolvimento (GEPAD/UFRGS). Atualmente é membro do Grupo de Pesquisa em Sociologia das Práticas Alimentares (SOPAS/UFRGS). Integra também, o Grupo de Pesquisa em Culturas Alimentares Digitais (Mesa Digital/Unimontes).

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Published

2023-11-01