Generation V: Millennial Vegans in Israel

Abstract

This study asks how and why veganism becomes a way of constructing generational identities and worldviews. Focusing on Israeli millennial vegans, I argue that veganism enables millennials to constitute a generational mode of thought that differentiates them from preceding generations through three interrelated practices: replacing evidence-based knowledge with other types of information, based on personal experience and consensual agreement among peers; constructing an Israeli identity that shifts commitment from national issues to global ones; and establishing spaces of consumption that operate according to marketing strategies meant to socialize practitioners into becoming critical consumers while participating in a young urban lifestyle. All of these position veganism as a means by which millennials exert control where they can, in an increasingly complex world, while refraining from challenging the political and economic systems.