Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Ecofeminist debate around ‘women as closer to nature’ centers the intersection between gender and climate. This assumption is put as unreliable, however ethnographic findings reveal that women of...Show moreEcofeminist debate around ‘women as closer to nature’ centers the intersection between gender and climate. This assumption is put as unreliable, however ethnographic findings reveal that women of the Greek island Corfu redefine ‘closeness to nature’ through the practice of herbalism. This study shows a nuanced depiction of the relationship between women and the natural environment, by revaluating notions of care and labor. Through ethnographic methods based on participant observation, in-depth interviews and filming, data is obtained. The data shows that the women of Corfu use herbalism as a means to be independent from their demanding role as caregivers; traditional knowledge is based on connections with past generations that refer to survival skills; herbalism teaches how mainstream society can live more sustainable. Concluding, herbalism is more than a practice. In the context of Corfu, herbalism critiques capitalist economies and creates a sustainable relationship with the natural environment. Through redefining labor and performing care as herbalist practice, lived experiences refine discussions on ‘women as closer to nature’.Show less
Aiming to develop an ecofeminist lens of lens-based art, this thesis analyses how the choice of a specific medium enhances the communication of concepts relating to the relationship between humans,...Show moreAiming to develop an ecofeminist lens of lens-based art, this thesis analyses how the choice of a specific medium enhances the communication of concepts relating to the relationship between humans, or women specifically, and nature. The implications of presenting the female body in nature are discussed through an amalgamation of (eco-)feminist theory and three established topics within media studies: representation, the moving image in the museum, and the affective turn. From representation in photography to affect in video art installation, the growing possibilities of lens-based art are argued to work towards more complex and critical artistic explorations of the relationship between the female body and nature.Show less
Concerns about environmental security appear to have become a global trend in the past decades. In the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), which are characterized by the decades-long Israeli...Show moreConcerns about environmental security appear to have become a global trend in the past decades. In the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), which are characterized by the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing political instability accompanying it, an increase in such concerns has similarly been experienced, especially with regard to the topic of water security. Simultaneously, the oPt are characterized by a population growth rate that exceeds to a significant extent that of most other nations with a similar developmental status. This striking population growth rate can arguably be linked to the Palestinian nationalist movement and its surrounding discourse, which encourages high birth rates in order to win what is sometimes referred to as a ‘demographic battle’ between Israelis and Palestinians. The seemingly contradictory discourses, one regarding population growth and the other regarding environmental, specifically water security form the basis for the research topic of this thesis; the thesis conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis into water security discourse amongst Palestinian NGOs during the Second Intifada, a nationalist uprising taking place at the start of this century.Show less
