I’m interested in two broad areas. First,the place of nonhuman animals within theories of justice. This strand of my research covers whether nonhuman animals have rights, how their interests should be protected, and how we can make progress towards multi-species justice. Second, the ethics of animal rights activism. Here, I’m interested in all of the questions that arise for individuals once you accept that nonhuman animals have rights. How, for example, should vegans relate to non-vegans? What forms of protest are morally permissible? What is the ethical status of illegal forms of animal rescue?
My Publications
Books
Cooke, S. (2023) What are Animal Rights For?, Bristol: Bristol University Press.
(reviewed in Animal Welfare here.)
Journal Articles
Cooke, S. (2024) ‘Cultured meat as a transitional step towards inter-species justice?’, Moral Philosophy and Politics.
Cooke, S. (2023) ‘Bearing witness, animal rights and the slaughterhouse vigil’, European Journal of Political Theory, OnlineFirst.
Cooke, S. (2021) ‘Cosmopolitan Disobedience’, Journal of International Political Theory, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp: 222-239.
Cooke, S. (2021) ‘The Ethics of Touch and the Importance of Nonhuman Relationships in Animal Agriculture’, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Vol. 31, No. 12.
Cooke, S. (2020) ‘Justice beyond humanity’, in Coolseat, B. (ed), Environmental Justice: Key Issues, Abingdon, Routledge.
Cooke, S. (2019) ‘Betraying Animals’, Journal of Ethics, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 183-200.
Cooke, S. and Futter, A. (2017) ‘Democracy vs Deterrence: nuclear weapons and political integrity’, Politics, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp.500-513.
Cooke, S. (2017) ‘Imagined Utopias: Animal Rights and the Moral Imagination’, Journal of Political Philosophy, Vol 25, No. 4, pp.e1-18.
Cooke, S. (2017) ‘Animal Kingdoms: on habitat rights for wild animals,’ Environmental Values, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp.53-72.
Cooke, S. (2016) ‘Understanding Animal Liberation’, in Garner, R. and O’Sullivan, S. (eds), The Political Turn in Animal Ethics, London and New York: Rowman & Littlefield International.
Cochrane, A. and Cooke, S. (2016) ‘”Humane Intervention”: the international protection of animal rights’, Global Ethics, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp.106-121.
Cooke, S. (2014) ‘Perpetual Strangers: animals and the cosmopolitan right’, Political Studies, Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 930-944.
Cooke, S. (2013) ‘Animal rights and environmental terrorism,’ Journal of Terrorism Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp.26-36.
Cooke, S. (2011) ‘Duties to Companion Animals’, Res Publica, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp.261-274.