3/30- Speaking event at UConn-Storrs- "For the Prevention of Cruelty"

Speaking event at UConn-Storrs

"For the Prevention of Cruelty"
Dr. Diane Beers, Professor of History, Holyoke Community College
Sunday, March 30, 3 p.m.
Biology/Physics Building, Room 130
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
No registration needed - Free
Animal rights. Those two words conjure powerful images and reactions: some nod in agreement, while others roll their eyes in contempt. Many people fall uncomfortably in the middle, between endorsement and rejection, as they struggle with the moral, philosophical, and legal questions provoked by the debate. Today, thousands of organizations lobby, agitate, and educate the public on issues concerning the rights and treatment of nonhumans.

Dr. Beers present the history of organized animal advocacy in the United States and demonstrates how the cause has evolved within the broader social context as the country shifted from an industrial to a postindustrial society. Until now, the legacy of the movement in the United Satates has not been examined. Few Americans today perceive either the companionship or the consumption of animals in the same manner as did earlier generations. Moreover, powerful and lingering bonds connect the seemingly disparate American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of the nineteenth century and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals of today. Beers' lecture and 2006 book, For the Prevention of Cruelty, tell an intriguing and important story that reveals society's often-changing relationship with animals through the lens of those who struggled to shepherd the public toward a greater compassion. There will be a book-signing afterward.

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