Feminist Political Ecology and Ecofeminism: Water Worries

This course introduces students to feminist environmentalism. We will analyse discourses and practices from diverse regional backgrounds concerning interventions from feminist economics into environmental politics. Ecofeminism is often confronted with the charge of essentialism – is this reading correct? What does Feminist Political Ecology contribute to the current ecological crisis? The first part of the course is a theoretical introduction into the debate.

The second part of the seminar will explore the multiple facets of water. Water is an essential part of life. Water is necessary for all aspects of daily care such as drinking, cooking, washing, and sanitation. Yet water counts also as a scarce resource for agricultural irrigation and is used for energy supply. Whereas water can be considered as the source of life, some consider it to be a tradeable good. Especially under the conditions of climate change, the availability of water becomes crucial. One can also consider water as a challenging way of thinking beyond disciplinary boundaries but also to show that nature and culture are always co-constituted. The seminar will discuss the different levels of access to and use of water. This contains economic, political, and social issues which we will analyse during the course from a gendered perspective.