Jim Mason, 1999 November 16 and 1999 November 17

Containers:

Box Mason Binder, Box 6

Scope and content:

Jim Mason begins this three session interview discussing his experiences growing up on a farm in Missouri during the 1950s. He analyzes at length the rural outlooks on animals, including in agriculture and hunting. He describes his initial interests in biology, entry into college as a pre-med student, and eventual decision to pursue law career instead. He describes his introduction to animal rights while at law school, and becoming more politically conscious in the 1970s following the death of his wife and as the result of his work as a legal services attorney in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Mason describes the animal rights movement in the 1970s and attending a conference in Cambridge, England. He speaks about research onAnimal Factoriesand the public's response. He also describes the founding ofThe Animals' Agendaand his eventual departure. He also discusses his writing ofAn Unnatural Order. Finally, he analyzes activities and characteristics of the animal rights movement in the 1980s, including activist demographics, rallies and actions, factory farming, reaction of the media, and strategies.

The interview is accompanied by one box of attachments, including writings by Mason and issues ofThe Animals' Agenda.

Interview conducted by Martin Rowe.

Other information:

Jim Mason (1940-) grew up on a farm in Missouri. During the 1970s he became active in many radical causes including fair housing, racial equality, and animal advocacy. Mason spent two years researching factory farms with ethicist Peter Singer, which resulted in the publication ofAnimal Factoriesin 1980. Mason also helped found the magazineThe Animals' Agendain 1979, which was initially a quarterly and later a monthly. Mason left the publication in 1986, and shortly thereafter began research on the origins of animal abuse and agriculture. This resulted in the publication ofAn Unnatural Orderin 1993. At the time of the interview he was working for Two Mauds, Inc., a foundation that helped fund grassroots animal advocacy projects around the United States

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