Vojtěch Svěrák, Julita Skotarska
Charles University

Caring for rivers: taking inspiration from ecofeminism and structural injustice debates

Our panel builds on Özge Yaka’s contribution, drawing on the voices of the activists she introduces and using different conceptual tools to interpret and understand their testimony. First, we will employ an ecofeminist approach, specifically that of Karen Warren, to consider care for the non-living and propose the first-person narrative as a means of breaking with oppressive conceptual frameworks. Second, we will situate these activists’ struggles within the debate on structural injustice, interpret them as an manifestation of the political responsibility advocated by Iris Marion Young, and suggest that it offers a vital alternative to neoliberal narratives, especially in times of climate and ecological crisis. In the final part, we will apply some of those ideas in a group activity.