On December 11, 2025, Olatz Aranceta-Reboredo defended their doctoral thesis entitled “Compassion in Spain: How interest groups contribute to the perpetuation of animal captivity and exhibition” in the Department of Communication at Pompeu Fabra University. The thesis, supervised by Dr. Núria Almiron, was part of the COMPASS research project, thanks to a predoctoral contract for the training of research personnel.

📍 Conference Room (55309), Poblenou Campus – Pompeu Fabra University
🗓️ December 11, 2025, 9:30 a.m.

Abstract:

This doctoral thesis examines the strategic communication of interest groups in the Spanish animal entertainment industry. The research analyzes their discourse and how it is used to legitimize their practices, maintain social support, and counteract society's growing concern for animal ethics and welfare. The thesis positions the animal entertainment industry not only as a cultural and economic actor but also as a discursive agent whose communications shape public perception, public debates, and influence political and regulatory outcomes.
Two central objectives guide the analysis. First, to map and identify the discursive practices of animal-based entertainment stakeholders in Spain. Second, to assess how these discourses interact with broader social concerns, particularly compassion for nonhuman animals, and how they respond to these concerns through narratives, coalitions, and strategic framing. To this end, the research focuses on the following sectors: the zoo industry, bullfighting, dog racing, horse racing, and cockfighting.
Methodologically, this thesis combines critical discourse analysis, media analysis, and semi-structured interviews. The main perspectives are Critical Public Relations and Critical Discourse Analysis. The corpus consists of content from stakeholder websites, documentaries, official reports, campaign material, news coverage, and interviews with zoo industry workers.
The compendium consists of eight publications, of which five are chapters and three are articles. The results reveal that the industry in Spain engages in strategic, cohesive, and adaptive communication that aligns its practices with
values that society considers desirable, while minimizing or reframing ethical concerns. Through the practice of “lobbying against compassion” and ethics-washing, A-BEI agents contribute to maintaining social consent for increasingly questioned practices.

The thesis received a final qualification of Excellent with the Cum Laude distinction.

Keywords: Strategic communication; Entertainment; Critical Animal Studies; Critical Discourse Analysis; Discursive coalition; Discursive network; Ethics washing.