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Theme: 1. Uneven Geographies, Ecologies, Technologies and Human Futures
Yuya Iida
Ehime University, Japan
Naoki Shibamiya
The University of Tokyo, Japan
Naoki Shibamiya
The University of Tokyo, Japan
Yuya Iida
Ehime University, Japan
Keisuke Nakakubo
Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
Natsuko Shiraishi
Osaka University, Japan
Naoki Shibamiya
The University of Tokyo, Japan
In the era of global warming, the politics of ecology has become a central issue in international politics, involving several agencies as UN, national governments, NGOs, and green giants (Fraser 2022). In the Philippines, the politics of “environment” has always been discussed in relation to “natural resources” and many of the research studies on environmental politics focus on the violence inflicted on people and nature by elite-driven resource exploitation and the resistance of local communities and civil society (Broad and Cavanagh 1993). Essentially, the Philippine environmental discourse remains anchored in the practices and narratives of corporations integrating environmental concerns into their development strategies, and in the advocacy of civil societies representing local communities’ rights.
Recent years, however, have witnessed a surge in interest surrounding green energy. This has resulted in the emergence of ethnographies depicting resistance manifesting as cultural revivals, distinct from traditional discourses (Alejo 2000). Contemporary research seeks to understand the Filipino people’s perceptions of “environment” and “nature,” probing into their valuation, protection, and transformation of these concepts. This has initiated the exploration of a unique Filipino environmentalism, contrasting with the capitalized environmental narratives dominant in the Global North.
This panel, while sharing the focus of “environmentalism from the local,” aims to create a polyphony and creolization of perspectives on the “politics of environment,” striving to encompass varied perspectives and methodologies. For this purpose, contributing scholars from different disciplines such as agrarian studies, geography, and anthropology will discuss what to look at, investigate, and discuss on the subject of “politics of environment.” Nakakubo will discuss the relationship between agricultural producers and consumers on agroecology, and Iida will explore indigenous populations navigating the tumultuous terrain of political strife and biodiversity conservation. Shiraishi will discuss the complex intertwining of discourses on local inter-ethnic relations and discourses on human relationships with nature, and Shibamiya will offer a fresh perspective on the treatment of the concepts of “environment” and “politics” by discussing the climate activism of middle-class urban youths.
While acknowledging that the contributing papers are in the early stages of research, the panel will illuminate how potentially multiple and mutually stimulating theorizations of “environment of/and politics” can be. Such collaborative endeavors are imperative, especially in an era witnessing not just shifts in the natural environment, but also profound transformations in the socio-political milieu encompassing it.
Presenter: Yuya Iida – Ehime University
Presenter: Keisuke Nakakubo – Tokyo University of Agriculture
Presenter: Natsuko Shiraishi – Osaka University
Presenter: Naoki Shibamiya – The University of Tokyo