L’ecologia politica come campo di riconcettualizzazione socio-ambientale: governance, conflitto e produzione di spazi politici

Abstract

Relations between human society, nature and the environment have long played a key role in the geographical debate. In this framework, political ecology has become a critical research field integrating heterogeneous theoretical and epistemological perspectives with socio-political and territorial knowledge, practices and experiences. While for a couple of decades this field has played a considerable role in international geographical literature, in the Italian debate it is still marginal. This contribution therefore aims to provide a framework for reflection and synthesis on how political ecology, through concepts and interpretative keys, contributes to re-discussing socio-environmental relations, highlighting their metabolic, political and conflictual nature, and proposing alternative future scenarios. Specifically, in the framework of global environmental governance and the contemporary ecological crisis, the focus is on socio-environmental conflict, in dialogue with post-politics theory, as a process of production of new spaces oriented to the repoliticization of environmental issues, the reconfiguration of socio-ecological relations and the claim of socio-environmental justice.

The contested environmental futures of the Dolomites: a political ecology of mountains

“…Indeed, contemporary mountain geography research lacks a critical reflection on how transcalar power dynamics -in terms of uneven relations and actors' bargaining power -affect the sociopolitical production of the mountain environment, as well as the political dimension of conservation and sustainability which might include divergent visions and contestation. Furthermore, an analysis of environmental struggles is still lacking from contemporary mountain geography research even though critical geography and political ecology have long discussed this topic (Perreault et al, 2015;Zinzani and Curzi 2020). Moreover, despite the ongoing discussion of alpine collective resource management advanced by Favero et al (2016) andDalla Torre et al (2022) among others, the literature has yet to devote significant attention to their potential role in fostering transformative change towards more just environmental futures.…”

Geografie della crisi eco-climatica in montagna: produzione sociale dell'ambiente e futuri contesi nelle Dolomiti

“…Ecologia politica, produzione sociale della natura e geografie della montagna. -Nell'ambito del dibattito su crisi eco-climatica e governance ambientale, l'ecologia politica, come campo di ricerca transdisciplinare, riveste un ruolo chiave nell'evidenziare la natura politica e conflittuale dell'ambiente, le contraddizioni delle politiche tecnocratiche della governance ambientale e climatica, e la necessità di riconfigurare le relazioni socio-ambientali in direzione della 'giustizia climatica' (Robbins, 2012;Perreault et al, 2015;Bini et al, 2020;Zinzani, 2020;Benjaminsen e Svarstad, 2021). Nel dialogo tra geografia ed ecologia politica la prospettiva critica più significativa si è concentrata sulla concezione di 'dominio umano sull'ambiente', considerato quest'ultimo come elemento esterno alla sfera umana: concezione che è radicata nella visione mainstream dicotomica di società e ambiente (Bryant, 2017).…”