SGG.00477: Political Ecology [SS 2025]

This seminar introduces students to the field of Political Ecology from a geographical perspective.

We will explore current debates, key conceptual approaches, regional differences, and examine recent developments in research. We will focus on the theoretical and methodological orientations that set political ecology apart from other critical approaches to studying environmental problems and how they are addressed. Students are expected to read, analyse, and discuss key texts in political ecology, as well as to actively participate in seminar discussions.

This seminar is designed for MSc students in Geography. A good command of English is necessary in order to succeed. It is highly recommended to have completed the Seminar in Social Theories (GG.0484) before taking this seminar.

Dates

Themes

18.02

1. Introduction

25.03

2. What is Political Ecology?

Robbins P. (2012) Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction. 2nd Edition, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell (Chapter 1)

04.03

3. Political Economy of Environmental Change and Degradation

Blaikie P. & Brookfield H. (1987). Land Degradation and Society, London: Methuen.

(Chapter 1).

11.03

4. Post-Structuralist Political Ecology

Fairhead J. & Leach M. (1995). False Forest History, Complicit Social Analysis: Rethinking some West-African Environmental Narratives. World Development, 23: 1023-1035.

18.03

5. Political Ecology of Wildlife Encounter (Guest input by Olivier Graefe)

Schlottmann, A., & Graefe, O. (2023). Wild Views on Sale: Commercialization of Visual Encounters in Namibian Wildlife Conservation. Globalizations, 1-21.

25.03

6. Feminist Political Ecology

Mollett S and Faria C. (2013). Messing with Gender in Feminist Political Ecology. Geoforum 45: 116-125.

01.04

7. Decolonial Political Ecology

Escobar, A. (2015). Thinking-feeling with the Earth: Territorial Struggles and the Ontological Dimension of the Epistemologies of the South. In Knowledges Born in the Struggle (pp. 41-57). Routledge.

08.04

8. Political Ecology of Food (Guest input by Prof. Johanna Jaccobi, ETH Zurich)

Jacobi J., Villavicencio Valdez, G. V. & Benabderrazik K. (2021). Towards Political Ecologies of Food. Nature Food, 2(11), 835-837.

15.04

9. Political Ecology of Extraction (Guest input by Dr. Mose Cometta, USI Mendrisio)

Szeman, I., & Wenzel, J. (2021). What do we talk about when we talk about Extractivism?. Textual Practice, 35(3), 505-523.

22.04

Easter break

29.04

10. Student Presentations: Based on submitted proposals

06.05

11. Political Ecology of Climate Change Litigation and Activism (Guest input by Dr. Jevgeniy Bluwstein, Uni Bern)

Gunderson, R., & Fyock, C. (2022). The Political Economy of Climate Change Litigation: Is here a point to suing fossil fuel companies?. New Political Economy, 27(3), 441-454.

13.05

12. Political Ecologies of Hydropower Development and Resistance (Guest input by Dr. Zali Fung, Uni Lausanne)

Fung, Z. and Lamb, V. 2023. 'Dams, diversions, and development: Slow resistance and authoritarian rule in the Salween River Basin.' Antipode 55(6): 1662–1685.

20.05

13. Synthesis

27.05

Self-study time for peer exchange