Nature Spirituality and Animal Rights Activism
Belief, Knowledge, and Ecological Engagement in Comparative Perspective
This project examines the relationship between spirituality, activism, and ecological engagement through a comparative qualitative study of two distinct yet thematically connected groups: individuals identifying with nature-oriented spirituality and members of animal rights and vegan activist organizations.
Within the study of religion, previous research has highlighted the potential of spiritual worldviews to foster sustainability, ecological awareness, and concern for non-human life (e.g. Bron Taylor). At the same time, public engagement by religious and spiritual groups often remains implicit, shaped by conflict avoidance and ambivalent positioning within public discourse (e.g. Jens Köhrsen). Addressing this tension, the first part of the project explores how people in the nature-spiritual milieu articulate ecological values, animal ethics, and environmental practices, and whether these are grounded in spiritual beliefs or informed by other knowledge systems.
The second part focuses on animal rights and vegan activists whose engagement directly addresses agriculture, meat and dairy production, and their environmental consequences. Through interviews with activists and organizational representatives, the project investigates their understandings of climate change, ecology, and animal rights, as well as their sources of knowledge, forms of activism, and strategies of public engagement.
By comparing these two groups, the study analyzes similarities and differences in ethical motivation, knowledge production, and activist practice, contributing to broader debates on the role of spirituality, secular activism, and moral frameworks in contemporary ecological engagement.
