Scan barcode
fantomerrant's review against another edition
5.0
If you haven't read this book, i urge you to do so. This completely challenged my thought process on animality and race, and showed me how, as a marginalized person, everything is connected!! You can't advocate for one minority without advocating for all minorities, and that includes nonhuman animals.
“Please understand this — incorporating [nonhuman] animal bodies into your activism isn’t a distraction from anti-racism or sexism — it’s an extension of the conversation because in reality we’re not just talking about racism or sexism, we’re talking about white supremacy and patriarchy.
We’re talking about capitalism and other discriminatory systems of domination that operate off of exploitation. Therefore, although our bodies might look different, we must all come together, not to show how we’re similar, but to demonstrate how these systems negatively impact us all.”
“Please understand this — incorporating [nonhuman] animal bodies into your activism isn’t a distraction from anti-racism or sexism — it’s an extension of the conversation because in reality we’re not just talking about racism or sexism, we’re talking about white supremacy and patriarchy.
We’re talking about capitalism and other discriminatory systems of domination that operate off of exploitation. Therefore, although our bodies might look different, we must all come together, not to show how we’re similar, but to demonstrate how these systems negatively impact us all.”
zophisereads's review against another edition
4.0
You might assume than belonging to the vegan community makes you absolutely right, but the reality is that a lot of us are a work in progress, make mistakes and have a lot to learn. And that’s one of the key messages from this book: you need to keep and open mind and engage in discussions without judging or being tone deaf. I’ve definitely learnt a thing or two while reading this and it made me reflect on things I thought I got figured out.
The language used is not difficult per se but you have to be focused to follow them and there are long phrases with a lot of footnotes, though they are very helpful, that interrupt the rhythm of reading. Now I understand that’s common in essays but in a book format it’s a bit annoying. Plus there were some parts that took so long for something that could been said more directly. But other than that, this book is thoroughly enriching.
The language used is not difficult per se but you have to be focused to follow them and there are long phrases with a lot of footnotes, though they are very helpful, that interrupt the rhythm of reading. Now I understand that’s common in essays but in a book format it’s a bit annoying. Plus there were some parts that took so long for something that could been said more directly. But other than that, this book is thoroughly enriching.
11corvus11's review against another edition
5.0
I have been reading the writings of Aph and Syl Ko since the beginnings of APHRO-ISM and Black Vegans Rock as blog sites. Back then it was already very exciting to see people coming out with ideas that were not only tackling topics at the root of huge fighting and divisions between vegan, animal lib, and social justice communities, but doing so in fresh new ways. Aph and Syl both have brilliant minds and ways of combining their powers together through conversation then reproducing them beautifully on the screen (and now page.) When they put the word out about their book, a lot of us were extremely excited. Many of us have been learning from their wisdom and/or feeling validated by their work.
The essays in APHRO-ISM explore critical theory in ways I find somewhat more accessible than a lot of critical theory out there. Many of the arguments made against academia and critical theory include the reality that some people are trying to tangibly survive while academics sit writing think pieces. But, what Aph and Syl do in this book is show the importance of thinking through things to liberation. There is a call for the defense of thought and culture- of "Black LIFE" not just Black lives and bodies.
Many of the essays are speaking directly to Black people- both vegan and nonvegan. This stays with the consistent theme of the need to decenter whiteness in movements for justice and liberation. Many arguments are well made that white supremacy teaches Black and other people of color to spend most of their time calling out and educating white people rather than decentering them and creating futures without them. The book does a good job creating this literary space in practice. I had the honor of seeing Aph give a presentation similar to the last writing in the book, "Creating New Conceptual Architechture: On Afrofuturism, Animality, and Unlearning/Rewriting Ourselves" at a conference and was incredibly motivated and moved by it. There Aph uses models of the solar system to construct a model of a reality we are not seeing: that the "social solar system" does not revolve around white folks or the most privileged of society, even if it appears that way, just as everything appeared to be orbiting the Earth upon early observation of the night sky. The reality is that the marginalized and oppressed- those seen as subhuman- are the Sun at the center of the solar system, and without them, the most privileged could not survive or exist.
Aph and Syl also focus in multiple ways on how animality is used to oppress people. Even though humans belong biologically to the kingdom Animalia with other animals, and even though marginalized and oppressed human beings are biologically homo sapiens along with ruling class white abled cis male humans, oppressed humans and animals all are forced into a space of "subhuman" that is created by white supremacist patriarchy. As Syl states, "The human-animal divide is the ideological bedrock underlying the framework of white supremacy. The negative notion of 'the animal' is the anchor of this system." As a result, animality must be reclaimed and factored into our analyses of oppression. This is a genius argument that is made well throughout several essays in the book.
The book is not limited to topics of Black veganism or animality and also goes into discussions of social media, tactics in activism and critical thinking, and others. It is at the forefront of new and needed systems of thinking, moving on from intersectionality as a technique to afrofuturism as a practice and model for the future. APHRO-ISM is a satellite that helps us see who is really at the center of our social solar system. Highly recommended.
The essays in APHRO-ISM explore critical theory in ways I find somewhat more accessible than a lot of critical theory out there. Many of the arguments made against academia and critical theory include the reality that some people are trying to tangibly survive while academics sit writing think pieces. But, what Aph and Syl do in this book is show the importance of thinking through things to liberation. There is a call for the defense of thought and culture- of "Black LIFE" not just Black lives and bodies.
Many of the essays are speaking directly to Black people- both vegan and nonvegan. This stays with the consistent theme of the need to decenter whiteness in movements for justice and liberation. Many arguments are well made that white supremacy teaches Black and other people of color to spend most of their time calling out and educating white people rather than decentering them and creating futures without them. The book does a good job creating this literary space in practice. I had the honor of seeing Aph give a presentation similar to the last writing in the book, "Creating New Conceptual Architechture: On Afrofuturism, Animality, and Unlearning/Rewriting Ourselves" at a conference and was incredibly motivated and moved by it. There Aph uses models of the solar system to construct a model of a reality we are not seeing: that the "social solar system" does not revolve around white folks or the most privileged of society, even if it appears that way, just as everything appeared to be orbiting the Earth upon early observation of the night sky. The reality is that the marginalized and oppressed- those seen as subhuman- are the Sun at the center of the solar system, and without them, the most privileged could not survive or exist.
Aph and Syl also focus in multiple ways on how animality is used to oppress people. Even though humans belong biologically to the kingdom Animalia with other animals, and even though marginalized and oppressed human beings are biologically homo sapiens along with ruling class white abled cis male humans, oppressed humans and animals all are forced into a space of "subhuman" that is created by white supremacist patriarchy. As Syl states, "The human-animal divide is the ideological bedrock underlying the framework of white supremacy. The negative notion of 'the animal' is the anchor of this system." As a result, animality must be reclaimed and factored into our analyses of oppression. This is a genius argument that is made well throughout several essays in the book.
The book is not limited to topics of Black veganism or animality and also goes into discussions of social media, tactics in activism and critical thinking, and others. It is at the forefront of new and needed systems of thinking, moving on from intersectionality as a technique to afrofuturism as a practice and model for the future. APHRO-ISM is a satellite that helps us see who is really at the center of our social solar system. Highly recommended.
bobi_steel's review against another edition
5.0
Adding this to my list of books that fundamentally changed how I view the world. A must read for absolutely everyone.
aidangiordano's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so wonderful and radical and definitely changed the way I look at anti racism, veganism, and activism in general. Everyone should read this.
debds's review against another edition
4.0
"un giorno dovremo uscire dalle trincee e iniziare a costruire il mondo che abbiamo sempre sognato, ed è necessario cominciare a lavorare già oggi sulle mappe concettuali di quel mondo. L'afrofuturismo ci dà lo spazio e il tempo per iniziare a lavorarci."
Uno dei pochi testi che parla di speranza <3
Faticosa, difficile, lunga, dura ma possibile speranza
Uno dei pochi testi che parla di speranza <3
Faticosa, difficile, lunga, dura ma possibile speranza