Mobilizing Nature

From Brazil's Landless Worker's Movement (MST) to Water Wars of Cochabamba to Standing Rock, these moments of protest have turned into movements. This seminar will examine how theoretical framings of movements have shifted from claims about political rights to environmental ones. We will address two overarching questions: How are notions of ethnicity, gender, and class constructed in relation to the environment? And how do people understand these relationships in such a way that motivates them to mobilize? Students will explore what kinds of ecological claims are being made, who is making, how, and who benefits from them. The objective is to ultimately understand how movements not only reflect, but also (re)shape political and social practices around the environment.