Racism as Zoological Witchcraft by Aph Ko Summary

Racism as Zoological Witchcraft argues that white supremacy operates through dehumanizing Black individuals by equating them with animals, a process Aph Ko terms "zoological witchcraft." The book connects colonial violence, racial capitalism, and speciesism, revealing how systemic oppression relies on degrading both Black bodies and nonhuman animals to sustain power structures.

Aph Ko is a Black vegan theorist, digital media producer, and author known for pioneering work linking anti-racism and animal rights. She holds degrees in Women’s/Gender Studies and Communication, founded Black Vegans Rock, and co-authored Aphro-ism. Her work has been featured in The New York Times and VegNews, and she produced the Sundance-winning documentary Always in Season.

This book is essential for scholars and activists exploring intersectional anti-racism, decolonial theory, or critical animal studies. It appeals to readers seeking fresh frameworks to dismantle systemic oppression, particularly those interested in how race, speciesism, and capitalism interconnect.

Yes—it offers a groundbreaking lens to analyze racism, blending sharp theoretical insights with historical examples like the eroticization of Black bodies and the leather industry’s ties to slavery. Ko’s critique of fragmented activism challenges readers to rethink social justice strategies.

Ko defines it as a colonial practice where whiteness spiritually and materially consumes Blackness by reducing it to animality. This process justifies violence, such as slavery’s bodily exploitation and modern cultural appropriation, while reinforcing white dominance through dehumanization.

The human/animal binary is a colonial construct used to classify Black and Indigenous people as "nonhuman," enabling their exploitation. Ko argues this binary fuels racism and speciesism simultaneously, as both oppressed groups are deemed disposable by white supremacy.

Ko critiques mainstream intersectionality for treating oppressions (racism, sexism, speciesism) as separate issues, which dilutes their systemic connections. She advocates for an afro-zoological approach that centers how animality underpins all racialized violence.

The book cites enslavers tanning Black skin into leather, sexualizing Black bodies, and commodifying enslaved people as livestock. These acts exemplify zoological witchcraft’s literal and symbolic consumption of Black humanity.

Ko ties veganism to anti-racism by exposing how animal exploitation and racial oppression stem from the same dehumanizing logic. She rejects comparisons between animal agriculture and slavery, urging solidarity against shared systems of objectification.

This framework combines Black liberation and animal rights, recognizing both as casualties of white supremacy’s animality project. It moves beyond superficial analogies to address root causes of exploitation.

Unlike many anti-racism texts, Ko centers nonhuman animals as primary targets of racial capitalism and critiques single-issue activism. Her focus on colonial spirituality and consumption offers a unique decolonial perspective.

Some scholars note Ko’s dense theoretical style may challenge casual readers. Others debate her rejection of intersectionality, though many praise her innovative linking of racial and animal justice.

As debates about racial capitalism, vegan ethics, and decolonization intensify, Ko’s work provides critical tools to address interconnected oppressions. Its insights resonate amid ongoing movements for environmental and social justice.