The Global Revival of Vegetarianism in the Modern Era

If ancient vegetarian traditions were mostly bound to particular religions or regional cultures, the revival of vegetarianism in the modern era has shown a far stronger cross-cultural, interdisciplinary character. In the mid-nineteenth century, the founding of the Vegetarian Society in Britain and the coining of the word "vegetarian" marked the first time vegetarianism appeared before the public as an organized social movement.

From Health Concerns to Systematic Ethics

Since the twentieth century, the arguments for vegetarianism have grown steadily richer. Early advocacy leaned heavily on health and religion; after the Second World War, advances in nutritional science gave vegetarianism a firmer scientific footing. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the rise of animal rights theory and environmental awareness added new ethical and ecological dimensions, giving further impetus to the more demanding standard of veganism.

Diverse Convergence in the Age of Globalization

Today's vegetarian revival presents an unprecedented diversity of forms:

• Traditional religious vegetarianism and modern ethical vegetarianism now coexist in the same marketplace
• Plant-based protein technology is pushing vegetarian food into mainstream consumption
• Social media has accelerated the cross-regional spread of vegetarian lifestyles
• Eastern and Western vegetarian culinary traditions have begun borrowing from and blending with one another

From the vegetarian dining halls of ancient monasteries to the vegan restaurants of today's cities, vegetarianism has continually been given new meaning by people of different eras — a conversation spanning thousands of years that continues still.