Aphro-Ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters

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It allowed me to be present in a conversation where, in life, my presence would change the terms of or even close down that conversation. There is a deconstruction of the phrase “We are all animals” but I could not explain to you why that phrase is or isn’t helpful. There’s no better metaphor for the failures of white supremacist capitalism than mortar, since it is the white slime that holds stone together. Understanding the 'human' and 'animal' in this more nuanced sense should spark a commitment on our community to understand the white/black and human-animal binaries as not merely bearing upon one another but deeply intertwined, with all four terms functioning to uphold the superiority of whiteness". It's easy to become defensive when you hear ideas outside of the mainstream but the Ko sisters constantly challenge this to the point where it doesn't sound so radical after all.

Rather, the people he encountered saw themselves in a deep relationship with the surrounding plants, animals, bodies of water and so on. Making comparisons between the physical treatment of nonwhite humans and nonhuman animals - saying things like “black people are treated like animals” disregards the fact that these oppressions are not similar but interconnected. They introduce the "human-animal dichotomy" in which the "human" is conceived as the heterosexual white male (the ideal form of being human) who is at the top of this white supremacist hierarchy. Not only are these types of comparisons or connections absurd, even worse these simplistic characteristics miss the ways in which these struggles and these wounded subjectivities relate to one another.We can establish even stronger divisions among ourselves informed by whatever we like, yes even physical traits, and still get along. It deconstructs Eurocentric views (aka white supremacy + colonialism) in relationship to its founding roots in animality. Since racism requires this notion of animality, since racism and race-thinking would fail to make sense without animality, those of us interested in resisting or combatting racism need to take seriously why the status of “the animal” is what it is. Writing this review took me many hours and was a great chance to dive back into specific parts of Aphro-ism, but I definitely want and need to keep digesting these ideas. This book is a vital companion for anyone willing to challenge surface-level ‘connections’ theories in exchange for deep, nuanced insights that have stratospheric potential for creating a more just world.

Unfortunately, intersectionality doesn't really trouble the systems looming over us that we never created. The way they attempt to re-think the link between the 'human' and the 'animal', and how those two are structured not only along speciecist but also racial lines.It is fundamental to understanding and dismantling the conceptual root of oppressive behaviour, the idea of “animality” and hierarchical racialised thinking. The word "animal" will then take on negative connotations, and parallels can easily be drawn between the oppression of animals and the oppression of minoritised groups. For vegans or minority activists, this book should challenge, or at least provide some expanded ideas, on your views. Aph e Syl Ko ripetono spesso durante tutto il libro che ciò che vivono gli animali è la stessa identica cosa che vivono le persone nere in questo mondo. This book succeeds in conceptualizing and conveying new ideas about animal advocacy, social justice, of which the sibling authors adequately show how interconnected they are.

Her writing challenges species-centric terminology and dominant conceptions of veganism, encouraging brave and imaginative shifts in thinking that prioritize multispecies justice. for how our collective liberation movements can be more inclusive and tackle the root of oppression moving forward.But we're clearly seeing a movement forming here, and that makes this book's publication even more exciting. Through their dialogue with each other, they offer us, as readers, the chance to listen to their perspectives and consider how we might change our own views, goals, and actions based on them.

Intersectionality is a wonderful and useful tool to help oppressed folks navigate current systems of oppression that we never created, but it was never designed to map out the future. With Aphro-ism, Aph and Syl Ko have added their profound and revolutionary voices to a tradition of critical thinking around liberation, veganism, animal rights, anti-racism, and feminism. In Aph’s author’s note at the start of the book she emphasises that they’re not telling you what you should think. Aph and Syl Ko are incredible activists and revolutionary thinkers who have influenced the way we approach animal rights and anti-racist activism. Through their scholarship these sisters seek to form "a coalition of all beings who deviate from the white/cis-/able-bodied heterosexual man - which we have been taught over and over again is the Human.Aphro-ism was a digital space dedicated to critical thinking, intellectual conversations, and probing essays centering on decolonial feminism, veganism, animals, and anti-racism. I whole-heartedly recommend this book and eagerly anticipate more of these women's ever-changing and critical insight.