Browsing by Author "Venäläinen, Lassi Waltteri"

Veganism and vegan alternatives to food have attracted increasing consumer interest in recent years. Veganism has been interpreted in previous research as a highly politicized practice, often motivated by animal ethical and environmental reasons, but at the same time hedonistic and healthy meanings have also been found to attract more and more people to try out vegan eating. For my part, I want to shed more light on the factors that contribute to staying in veganism after a dietary transition. The examination happens in the light of practice theory, in terms of meanings, materials and competencies. The practices are social, so I will also look at how the social environment affects veganism and how it is practiced in relation to the practice elements mentioned above. The study uses semi-structured interviews collected from ten people who follow a predominantly vegan diet. The contact details of seven of the participants are from the responses to the Vegan Challenge questionnaire from 2016, and the remaining three participants are acquaintances of the interviewer. The material collected by the interview was analyzed using a theory-guided content analysis method, in which practice theory guides the division and interpretation of the material. The results show that the factors that facilitate the transition to and adherence to a vegan diet have been emphasized in Finland between 2016 and 2021 in terms of materials, competences and meanings. Vegan food is becoming more available and easier to prepare than before, although the price of new vegan products is still relatively high and traditional products are more difficult to prepare. Increasingly emphasized hedonistic meanings are believed to attract to try the diet, but on the other hand, the overemphasis on healthy meanings is seen as a disincentive to transition. Communities of practice and communality support the transition to and adherence to diet, but the social environment also makes it difficult to practice. However, practitioners seek to get along in the midst of an animal food culture by developing social strategies and influencing prevailing meanings.