The thesis analyzes the demographic, attitudinal and
behavioral characteristics of animal rights activists,
placing them in the context of resource policy. It is
argued that the animal rights movement combined the
Victorian critique of empiricism with a reaction to
modernity that was characteristic of other contemporary mass
movements. Animal rights activism emerged from a sociopolitical
milieu that legitimized and encouraged political
activism in the form of interest groups, and was consistent
with American interest group politics. Nonetheless, the
movement could not have appeared in its current form prior
to the 1960's. Changes in American politics during the last
four decades have facilitated the emergence of mass
movements, including civil rights and environmentalism.
Survey research indicated that activists were
caucasian, highly-educated urban professional women
approximately thirty years old with a median income of
$33,000 (1989). Most were Democrats or Independents and had
moderate to liberal political views. They were often
suspicious of science. It was concluded that animal rights
activism is, in part, a symbolic manifestation of
egalitarian social and political beliefs reacting to
scientific and technological change.
The California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 provided
a case study of the movement's implications for natural
resource policy. Activists were able to ban the hunting of
mountain lions and reallocate $900 million dollars in the
California budget toward habitat acquisition. They
demonstrated sophistication and finesse in building a
coalition with environmentalists. Nevertheless, both
movements were divided by fundamental philosophical
differences which makes political cooperation difficult.
Animal rights activism was also marked by extraordinary
levels of intensity which arose from quasi-religious fervor,
and it is suggested that activism fulfills Yinger's
functional definition of religion in the lives of at least
some of the movement's core constituency. This explains the
movement's ability to retain activism in the face of
incremental change.
The thesis concludes with a discussion concerning the
future implications of animal rights activism in society
(312 words). / Graduation date: 1994
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35622 |
| Date | 06 May 1994 |
| Creators | Jamison, Wesley V. |
| Contributors | Froman, David P., Lunch, William M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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