Consumption of dog meat: an instrumentalization of animals by racist discourse

Abstract

This article addresses the widespread and often unsubstantiated claim within Greek public discourse that Pakistani immigrants consume dog meat. The author investigates the origins and validity of these reports, arguing that such claims function as a form of "cultural racism" designed to "other" and dehumanize a specific social group. The study explores how dogs are instrumentalized in this racist rhetoric, leveraging the high emotional value placed on "pets" in Western societies to justify exclusionary and xenophobic policies. Furthermore, the paper provides a critical critique of the anthropocentric perspective that arbitrarily assigns greater moral value to certain animals (like dogs) over others (like livestock), highlighting the internal contradictions of social attitudes toward animal consumption.