The institutional history began in 2001 when the Centre for Animal Liberation Affairs (CALA) was established by Steven Best and Anthony J. Nocella II.
[3] ICAS is a private organization run by a Board of Executive Directors, who are responsible for making major decisions concerning its mission, strategic plans and principles.
In 2014, ICAS published and edited a volume entitled "Defining Critical Animal Studies: An Intersectional Social Justice Approach for Liberation" (co-edited by Anthony J. Nocella II, John Sorenson, Kim Socha, and Atsuko Matsuoka).
CAS is a more radical option, overtly underlining the need for political engagement and advocating direct action, which may be considered controversial in traditional academic circles.
Supporters of CAS often emphasize that, although animal studies has made a large contribution to growing awareness about the complexities of human–animal relations, it lacks a deep moral engagement and remains detached from the most significant problems.