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Protest, Activism and the Environment

Module description

Many people act on the basis of a concern about the environment. Some commit to lifestyle change, altering the goods they consume, the food they eat and the activities they engage in. Others have taken more confrontational measures, hoping to disrupt the political institutions and practices that produce environmental harm. Indigenous rights groups have obstructed the operation of multinational corporations on sacred land, for example, while protesters in the UK have disrupted major sporting events and important transport links.

This module examines how a range of traditions in political thought have understood the nature and scope of our environmental obligations, applying these insights to cases of protest and activism in contemporary politics. It will consider how concerns about the environment are articulated in decolonial movements, as well as how we ought to evaluate forms of climate protest that target works of art or high-emitting luxury property. The course will draw on empirical literatures, in order to understand both the nature of the environmental threats that confront us and likely effects of different sorts of political action in response to them.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will provide you with an understanding of the key concepts in debates environmental protest and activism and the implications of different theoretical positions for practical cases. First, you will be able to distinguish between different categories of protest and activism, such as civil disobedience, direct action, divestment and offsetting. Second, you will be able to connect the concerns expressed in environmental movements to different traditions in political thought, including decolonial, liberal, feminist and Marxist perspectives. Finally, you will be able to identify and evaluate contemporary practices of environmental protest and activism, particularly in relation to the biodiversity and climate crises, in light of the theoretical material covered on the course.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand different categories of environmental protest and activism
• 2. Critically evaluate the implications of different theoretical traditions for contemporary cases of environmental protest and activism.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Perform close readings and analysis of key texts.
• 4. Apply complex theories and concepts to pressing political phenomena.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively
• 6. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Environmental Value
• Civil and Uncivil Disobedience
• Indigenous Rights, Territory and the Environment
• Direct Action and Ecotage
• Ecofeminism and Environmental Resistance
• Race, Reparations and the Environment
• Hope and Despair in Environmental Protest and Activism
• Contemporary Climate Protest

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Schueurman W (2018). Civil Disobedience. Cambridge: Polity
• Delmas C (2018). A Duty to Resist: When Disobedience Should be Uncivil. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Naess A (1989). Ecology, Community, and Lifestyle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Code L (2006). Ecological Thinking: The Politics of Epistemic Location. Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Whyte K (2018). Settler Colonialism, Ecology, and Environmental Injustice. Environment and Society, 9(1): 125-144
• Malm A (2021). How to Blow Up a Pipeline. London: Verso
• Táíwò, Olúfemi (2022). Reconsidering Reparations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Kings A.E (2017). Intersectionality and the Changing Face of Ecofeminism. Ethics and the Environment, 22(1): 63-87
• Lear J (2008). Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
• The Dasgupta Review: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-report-the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review
• UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Woman at War (2019) Benedict Erlingson [Feature Film]. Iceland: Sena

Key words search

Protest; Activism; Environment; Biodiversity; Climate Change; Political Theory