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Meat Fetishism – the Intersection between Carnism and Commodity Fetishism. An Integrative Literature Review and Concept Development

Evertz, Ariane Irmgard Marie-Luise LU (2025) HEKM51 20251
Human Geography
Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
Industrial meat production causes immense suffering but continues on a massive scale. This study explores how the concepts of carnism by Melanie Joy and commodity fetishism (CF) by Karl Marx inter¬sect to enable the societal dissociation from the abusive interspecies relations behind industrial meat production. Moreover, the study develops a new concept called meat fetishism (MF) which highlights these intersections more precisely than previous ones. For this, an integrative literature review (ILR) was conducted, highlighting gaps, tensions and intersections between carnism and CF, preceding the concept development of MF. The main conceptual gap between carnism and CF lies in the lack of reference to capitalism in carnism. A central... (More)
Industrial meat production causes immense suffering but continues on a massive scale. This study explores how the concepts of carnism by Melanie Joy and commodity fetishism (CF) by Karl Marx inter¬sect to enable the societal dissociation from the abusive interspecies relations behind industrial meat production. Moreover, the study develops a new concept called meat fetishism (MF) which highlights these intersections more precisely than previous ones. For this, an integrative literature review (ILR) was conducted, highlighting gaps, tensions and intersections between carnism and CF, preceding the concept development of MF. The main conceptual gap between carnism and CF lies in the lack of reference to capitalism in carnism. A central tension between the concepts is the uniqueness of the meat-commodity within capitalism, which is different from other commodities. Carnism and CF intersect by upholding a strong human-nature dualism, connecting with the ideology of neoliberalism and animating the meat-commodity while invisibilizing the relations behind it. The German pig industry serves as an example to illustrate these relations. The new concept of MF serves to reconcile these overlaps, gaps and tensions. MF is the defense of meat and the domination of farmed animals within capitalism while the exploit¬ation of humans, as well as nonhuman animal suffering and ecological destruction, are hidden. (Less)
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author
Evertz, Ariane Irmgard Marie-Luise LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
meat fetishism, carnism, commodity fetishism, conceptual intersections, concept development, animal industry, dissociation
language
English
id
9188072
date added to LUP
2025-07-31 11:22:03
date last changed
2025-07-31 11:22:03
@misc{9188072,
  abstract     = {{Industrial meat production causes immense suffering but continues on a massive scale. This study explores how the concepts of carnism by Melanie Joy and commodity fetishism (CF) by Karl Marx inter¬sect to enable the societal dissociation from the abusive interspecies relations behind industrial meat production. Moreover, the study develops a new concept called meat fetishism (MF) which highlights these intersections more precisely than previous ones. For this, an integrative literature review (ILR) was conducted, highlighting gaps, tensions and intersections between carnism and CF, preceding the concept development of MF. The main conceptual gap between carnism and CF lies in the lack of reference to capitalism in carnism. A central tension between the concepts is the uniqueness of the meat-commodity within capitalism, which is different from other commodities. Carnism and CF intersect by upholding a strong human-nature dualism, connecting with the ideology of neoliberalism and animating the meat-commodity while invisibilizing the relations behind it. The German pig industry serves as an example to illustrate these relations. The new concept of MF serves to reconcile these overlaps, gaps and tensions. MF is the defense of meat and the domination of farmed animals within capitalism while the exploit¬ation of humans, as well as nonhuman animal suffering and ecological destruction, are hidden.}},
  author       = {{Evertz, Ariane Irmgard Marie-Luise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Meat Fetishism – the Intersection between Carnism and Commodity Fetishism. An Integrative Literature Review and Concept Development}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}