Happy Meat

Josee Johnston is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on food, gender, culture, and politics. She is the co-author, with Shyon Baumann, of Foodies (2015) and, with Kate Cairns, of Food and Femininity (2015).Shyon Baumann is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. His work addresses questions of evaluation, legitimacy, status, classification, and inequality. Past book projects include Hollywood Highbrow (2007).Emily Huddart is Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. She is an environmental sociologist with a focus on consumer attitudes and behaviors. She is the author of Eco-Types (2022). Merin Oleschuk is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Introduction: How did Meat Become "Happy"? I. Situating Happy Meat 1. Exploring the Ethical Meatscape 2. No Reservations? The Complicated Case of Regular (but Conflicted) Meat-Eating II. The Emotions of Eating Meat 3. Meat is Disgustingand Delicious! 4. Happy Meat Makes Me Feel Good III. Raising Happy Animals 5. The Reality Behind Raising Happy Meat: Beyond a Good/Evil Binary 6. Producing Happy Meat at Scale: Managing Vital Animals and Thinking Sustainably IV. The Boundary Work of Happy Meat 7. Other People's Meat 8. Meat Makes Us Healthy and Whole-and Can Even Heal the Planet Conclusion: How Can We Eat Ethically When Meat Is Murder?

"By foregrounding meat consumption's emotional and cultural contours, Happy Meat forces readers to confront entrenched assumptions about food consumption. We mistakenly look to resolve what the authors identify as the meat paradox through education and critique. To escape this paradox, we must understand the contradictions and complexities of meat eating.To do that, I encourage everyone to read this timely book." -Michael Carolan, Colorado State University "A fascinating analysis of the manifold ethical contradictions of meat, based on extraordinary data collection as well as extensive qualitative research. Engagingly written, deeply insightful, and thought-provoking, the book is a must-read for scholars and a great choice for students at any level." -Juliet Schor, Boston College