Since the early nineteenth century, numerous campaigns have denounced the mistreatment of animals. This book compares the British and French histories of the animal-protection movement to retrace its origins and impact up to the present day. As Christophe Traïni shows, the struggle for animal rights - inextricably linked to the rise of philanthropy and established long before the birth of the ecology movement - developed out of several important social and political processes, including changes in sensibilities and socially approved emotions, new definitions of what constitutes legitimate violence, and the influence of religious beliefs.

Originally published as La cause animale. Essai de sociologie historique (1820-1980), 2011 ©Presses Universitaires de France