Melanie Joy is an American social psychologist and vegan activist, primarily notable for promulgating the term carnism. She is a professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, as well as the president of Beyond Carnism, also known as Carnism Awareness & Action Network (CAAN), a non-profit advocacy group which she founded in 2010. She has published two books, Strategic Action for Animals and Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows.