Intersectionality and the Environment

Ergas, Christina; McKinney, Laura A.; Bell, Shannon Elizabeth

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-77712-8_2

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 84 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Scholars have also argued for a deeper engagement with intersectional feminist approaches to energy issues to identify structural inequalities, access to resources, and power differentials [ 67 , 68 ]. An intersectional approach investigates the interlocking axes of social location that exacerbates social inequality [ 69 , 70 ] with recent scholarship applying this approach to issues of environmental and energy justice including the distribution of landfills [ 8 , 71 – 73 ]. Intersectionality approaches engage with experiences and meaning of belonging to multiple social groups, examines power and inequality, and illuminates how structural power operates to create wide ranging disparities [ 71 , 74 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Along the energy justice continuum: An examination of energy disposal through the lens of feminist community based participatory action research

Cannon¹,

Bonnell²,

Padilla³

et al. 2023

Energy Research & Social Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Along the energy justice continuum: An examination of energy disposal through the lens of feminist community based participatory action research

Cannon¹,

Bonnell²,

Padilla³

et al. 2023

Energy Research & Social Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Lama and Buchy (2002)'s study of community forestry shows clearly that access to resources, benefit sharing and decision-making are not only organized along gender lines, but by caste as well. Since then, the conceptual framework of intersectionality which considers interlinked dimensions of oppression (such as, among others, caste gender, sexuality, ethnicity and age) has gained traction in natural resource management studies (Ergas et al, 2022).…”

Section: Contextualizing Gesi In Nepalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invisible women: barriers for women professionals in the water, energy, food, and environment sectors in Nepal

Buchy,

Elias,

Khadka

2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite evidence of women’s roles and expertise in the management of water, energy, food, and the environment (WEFE), the WEFE literature is almost silent on gender issues. In the context of climate change, achieving more inclusive management of natural resources is vital; yet women continue to be underrepresented as professionals in WEFE sectors, and largely absent in leadership positions. Using Nepal as a case study, this paper explores the enduring barriers to their exclusion, and entry points for greater equity among professionals in these sectors. To do so, we draw on key informant interviews with 34 male and 31 women professionals from government, civil society, non-governmental organizations and consultants, as well as a roundtable discussion with 20 women professionals specifically focused on gender barriers in these sectors in Nepal. Drawing on Gaventa (2006)’s power cube, this paper examines how power dynamics within and between the public and the private spheres create a web of barriers that conflate to sideline women professionals. While women have reached the “closed space” as defined by Gaventa (i.e., are recruited to professional positions in WEFE sectors), different sources of “hidden” and “invisible” power at play in the public and private spheres continue to limit their participation, influence and decision-making. We argue that the continued marginalization of women professionals calls for a focus on understanding the power and intersectionality dynamics that sustain exclusion. This focus is critical for the development of strategies to increase the voice and leadership of women professionals in WEFE decision-making.

show abstract

“…A comprehensive strategy for integrating social science and humanities theorizing in environmental justice can be found in Patricia Hill Collins’ work on intersectionality, as it concerns the interconnectedness of social inequality (see also Ergas, McKinney, and Bell, 2021 ). As noted by Collins ( 2019 :52–53), “Intersectionality can easily become polarized around these different understandings of social theory….…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering students to confront environmental injustice: Dialogue, theory, empathy, and partnership

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many students find environmental justice to be emotionally overwhelming and/or politically alienating, and there is currently little work that provides instructors with effective techniques for addressing these types of challenges. In this paper, upon situating the environmental studies classroom and the broader undergraduate experience in sociohistorical context, we identify four sequential strategies for engaging and empowering students on environmental justice issues. First, instructors can facilitate an open and honest dialogue by strategically framing course content for the unique composition of the audience, sharing their own racialized experiences (or working with a guest speaker who would be willing to do so), and using interactive assignments to encourage student participation. Second, social theory can be presented to students as complimentary (rather than competing) ideas which can be used for creative, real-world problem solving. Third, instructors and students can cultivate empathy by acknowledging different standpoints , particularly those that have been historically marginalized. Lastly, by working in partnerships with community-based organizations, instructors and students can think and work beyond hero/savior and perpetrator/victim narratives. These strategies are not intended as a set of silver bullets, but rather as a series of potential starting points that are informed by recent scholarship on these topics.

show abstract

Intersectionality and the Environment

Cited by 5 publications

References 84 publications

Along the energy justice continuum: An examination of energy disposal through the lens of feminist community based participatory action research

Along the energy justice continuum: An examination of energy disposal through the lens of feminist community based participatory action research

Invisible women: barriers for women professionals in the water, energy, food, and environment sectors in Nepal

Empowering students to confront environmental injustice: Dialogue, theory, empathy, and partnership

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About