NeMLA 2023 (March 23 - 26, 2023; Niagara Falls, NY)

ECOCRITICAL RESPONSES: HUMAN RIGHTS OVER EXTRACTIVISM

Co-Chaired: Diana Aldrete (Trinity College) and Melissa McCarron (University at Buffalo)

In discussing “pedagogies of cruelty” (that is, all the activities and practices that instruct, acclimate, and program subjects to convert life into things), Rita Segato (2018) reminds us that it is no surprise that the commodification of women’s bodies precedes every extractive operation set up in Latin American towns to create commodities for the global market. This panel seeks to investigate how ecofeminist and ecocritical responses to environmental extractivism interface with human rights violations of women, queer, afro- and indigenous bodies and cultures in Spanish- speaking and Lusophone communities. How can ecofeminism, “intersectional environmentalism” [that is, an inclusive approach to environmentalism that expands ecofeminism to consider the social injustices of marginalized groups, Leah Thomas (2022)], and pedagogies of care serve as a pathway strategy of resilience in contending with human rights violations and environmental extractivism in Latin America and the Caribbean? With the theme of this year’s convention, “Resilience,” how might feminist subjectivities of “care” and “placemaking” respond to human rights abuses, discrimination, class exploitation, and environmental destruction? This panel invites analyses of writing, film, visual and performing arts, practices of activism and cultural production that highlight the intersections between human rights and environmental justice in Latin America and the Caribbean. Considering the United States as a significant extractavist actor within Latin America, this panel will also consider contributions that address these topics within the geographically bound U.S.

Submit your abstract to: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/20036