Political Ecology
Political Ecology (CULP 225) introduces students to the field of political ecology, which involves the ways that politics, power, and culture shape relationships between humans, other animals, nature, and the environment. What are the gendered, racial, and class dynamics of green campaigns for sustainability and “saving endangered species”? Is environmentalism a politics of the privileged, an urgent global human rights issue, or is there such a thing as inter-species justice? How do cultural representations of “nature” and “environment” reinforce power inequalities or inspire social change? While there may be little argument about the need to address climate catastrophes, how might people, organizations, and movements define and prioritize problems to move towards desirable solutions? This course is taught by Joan Mandell as a Doyle Seminar in spring 2023.
