Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study analyzes the connection between the animal rights activism of artist Rita Lee and her significant cultural and artistic influence, which serves to amplify the voices of animals, combat abuse, and promote an ethic of interspecies empathy through her literary work and public engagement. Based on bibliographic and documentary research, this work highlights how Rita Lee’s artistic and public expressions anticipated essential discussions regarding biocentrism—shifting from anthropocentrism to recognizing nature and non-human animals as rights-holders, while transcending the utilitarian view that reduces wildlife to mere objects. Thus, Rita Lee’s initiatives are presented as an effective tool for informal legal education, with messages that raise socio-environmental awareness and foster ecological citizenship. The singer's activism directly relates to the principles established in Article 225 of the 1988 Federal Constitution, particularly regarding the prohibition of cruel practices against animals. In summary, the artist's sociocultural legacy is both recognized and undeniable; art and civic engagement play fundamental roles in constructing an inclusive, biocentric legal hermeneutics that genuinely values planetary sustainability and the dignity of all forms of life.
Author: Vieira, Tereza Rodrigues
Institution: Universidade Paranaense
Language: Portuguese
Topic: Animal Law and Welfare
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224992470