BIRTHING

Other attributes such as natural energy systems; slow food, localisation and numerous sensible living methods may well become attracted to Vegaculture as they have to Permaculture.  What we need is a view to a ‘sustainable present’, not just a sustainable future.By all means enroll in a Permaculture course this is a wonderful education.  But ensure that vegan food is integrated into the program and question the dominant paradigm, which draws its experience from cultivation of animals as part of the food chain in traditional cultures, as well as being members of the web of life.”Path from SocietyVegaculture can be simply defined as a self-reflective system of social design principles promoting compassion in daily life through conscious living—Social Statement

My initial limited experience in Australia, of the historic place of vegetarian and vegan groups and individuals, and their integration into communities is that they have sometimes existed at the fringes of the social order; a common response has been a lack of certainty about what the terms mean, with vague notions of a strange personal food persuasion (variously considered both healthy and unhealthy), which may be linked directly to, or profess a form of allegiance to, or have membership of a particular faith.

A fully or part animal free dietary and belief system is prevalent in Eastern cultures, elsewhere, vegan exponents have formed pockets of influence similar to diasporas with a couple of longer term focused groups such as members of the 7^th Day Adventist Fellowship, various philosophical and health oriented groups and more recently small specific interest groups like the raw food proponents in modern times.  Many countries have a small number of adherents, and numerous people seeking weight loss, personal growth and healing still dabble with a vegan diet, much more frequently than with the fullest vegan lifestyle.

Generally the decision to ‘go vegan’ is becoming an integrated activity in the younger generation in the search for personal identity, while a plethora of health recovery methods incorporate the vegan diet in their recommendations.  A brief scan of historical records shows minimal results for the relationship of a political active agenda with  ‘vegetarian or vegan movements’ as such, however a few social connections are presented.

In the last few centuries, the vegetarian view has been readily expressed, and various adherents to compassionate food preferences have fought the fight on behalf of animal welfare and rights, but the identification of a “Social Movement” per se is generally limited to the 19th century adherents, where in England and America several influential people in the arts, health and business circles, strongly supported the provision of a vegetarian diet (Ref.12).  It seems sociologists may have deferred to nutrition and health advocates given the limited documentation on the history of the vegetarian-vegan preference.

A summary of the vegetarian way taken from a ‘History of Veganism’ (Ref.13) is given here and plots the course to the modern era, commencing in 7000 BCE with Mehragh and the Old Testament, and Hindu scriptures make reference to humans and animals living in harmony; the wolf and lamb together with Isaiah in the C8th BCE.  Ethical examples include Pythagoras recognising all animals have souls around the C6th BCE, a healthy Greco-Roman dietary was geared to a vegetarian way, while first Plato, then Plutarch and Porphyry as vegetarians, recommended abstinence from flesh.

In the Middle-Ages, Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) is well known as a vegetarian and animal rights advocate; the early Christians and Chinese Buddhists and Taoists were purported to be vegetarian, with St. Anthony a vegan.  Ritual slaughter was gradually being phased out and the Renaissance from around 1500-1700CE saw resurgence in recognition of animal rights and ethical vegetarianism, which philosophically and culturally has led to the modern era.

It is a fact that Mahatma Gandhi was a vegetarian, and successfully used non-violent protest and compassion as major tenets in the political arena leading to the rise of self-government in India and eventual ousting of the British (a magnificent accomplishment); written history though, does not necessarily place these actions in the context of shared ideals and the strength of a vegetarian-vegan movement, but almost solely in the realm of ‘non-violent protest.’

Traditional religious and cultural family ties have demonstrated a significant influence in the continued maintenance of the dietary and lifestyle preferences, however, in the modern era, in India for example, an exposure to multiple lifestyles leads to multiple choices, which has no doubt caused some consternation in traditional vegetarian households and although around 30% of the population are believed to be vegetarian, only a tiny number amongst the Buddhists, Sikh, Jain and Hindu cohorts are likely to be vegan.

I can envisage a wider audience in all communities gradually adopting an openness as a result of the spread of vegan awareness and recognition of the outcomes from vegan activism, which does represents itself strongly in social media; and a more informed public is willing to align with animal rights issues that are drawing a lot of media attention, such as greyhound racing and the live animal export trade in Australia.  Thus, social influence will not only be limited to specific actions, rather a re-assessment of greater significance is underway, the education of large sections of the population.