BEYOND FOOD: Veganism as a cultural and identity phenomenon
More than a diet, veganism can be seen as a manifestation of broader social values, permeating issues of ethics, the environment, and social interactions. Its growth cannot be interpreted only as a reflection of individual choices but must be inserted within a broader symbolic field, where food and consumption are means of communication and establishment of social boundaries. By rejecting animal products, veganism transforms moral perceptions about food by reorganizing what is considered ethical and acceptable in contemporary societies, reflecting a cultural movement that goes beyond food to question the foundations of the human relationship with nature.
ANNIBAL GOUVEA FRANCO: Veganism has been consolidated as a sociocultural phenomenon of wide expansion, transcending the food sphere and manifesting itself as a complex system of meanings… In addition to a diet, veganism can be seen as a manifestation of broader social values, permeating issues of ethics, the environment, and social interactions. Their growth cannot be interpreted only as a reflection of individual choices but must be inserted within a broader symbolic field, where food and consumption are means of communication and establishment of social boundaries…
In this sense, veganism can be analyzed as a cultural practice that goes beyond simple dietary restrictions. It is constituted as a symbolic system where food is classified not only as sources of nutrition but as markers of ethical and social values. Veganism is articulated with issues of morality and identity, reflecting, through their food choices, an ethical, environmental, and social positioning. Thus, the adoption of veganism by social groups connects to a shared interpretation that involves ethics and the collective sense of belonging.
Douglas (1991), in his analysis of food taboos, argues that certain foods are morally classified as “pure” or “impure” according to cultural and social norms. Although she doesn’t directly refer to veganism, we can apply her theory by looking at how veganism creates its food boundaries. In veganism, animal foods are often seen as ‘unclean’, while plant-based alternatives become symbols of purity, reflecting a set of ethical and social values that exclude animal exploitation…
By rejecting animal products, veganism transforms moral perceptions about food, which reorganizes what is considered ethical and acceptable in contemporary societies, reflecting a cultural movement that goes beyond food to question the foundations of the human relationship with nature…
Miller (1998) proposes that consumption should not be seen solely as an exchange of goods but as a process of construction of social identities. In the case of veganism, this construction of identity becomes visible in consumption habits, where the exclusion of animal products is not only an individual preference but a form of social differentiation…
This has practical implications for the way vegans are perceived socially, distinguishing them from
those who do not adopt the same food philosophy and generating social distancing between groups. The choice for vegan products and the rejection of animal products become strategies for the expression of values, through which individuals build bonds of belonging with communities that share these beliefs…
The emerging vegan identity can be analyzed from the contributions of Morant et al. (2016), who explore how veganism becomes an element of social cohesion among those who share a set of values and meanings. According to the authors, vegan identity is not only defined by the exclusion of animal products from the diet but also by an active commitment to the animalist and environmentalist cause, which leads to the formation of communities that share practices, discourses, and engagement strategies.
Vegan consumption, therefore, is intertwined with social networks that reinforce adherence to this lifestyle, creating a sense of belonging and solidarity among its members. Vegan activism can be interpreted as a contemporary form of political engagement based on consumption and the reformulation of moral and cultural values… In this sense, Veganism is inserted into the dynamics of social mobilization, highlighting its potential as a political practice that challenges hegemonic agri-food systems and proposes sustainable alternatives. SOURCE…
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