Politica l e cology is a re la tive ly ne w fie ld of re se a rch tha t ha s be e n wide ly discusse d a nd much used in recent analyses of interactions between humans and the environmen t. Politica l e cology is a n inte rdisciplina ry a pproa ch Ce ntra l to politica l e cology is the in-de pth e xa m ina tion of socia l structure s in the ir globa l a nd historica l conte xts to e xpla in e n vironm e nta l cha ng e . The analysis of the various actors, their interests , a ctions, a nd the discourse s tha t look at environmentally induced conflicts .
Am ong the que stions tha t politica l e cology de a ls with a re : (i) how both na ture a nd socie ta l structure s de te rm ine e a ch othe r a nd sha pe a cce ss to na tura l re source s; (ii) how constructe d conce pts/knowle dg e a bout socie ty a nd na ture contribute to sha ping hum a n- e n vironm e nt re la tions; (iii) conne ctions be twe e n a cce ss to a nd control ove r re source s a nd e n vironm e nta l cha ng e .
“politica l e cology” is a n a re a of re se a rch ide ntifie d in the critica l re se a rch pe rspe ctive inspire d b y cultura l a nd politica l e conom ic studie s [politica l e conom y] Much of the politica l e cology thinking wa s confine d to a rura l, third world conte xt until re ce ntly . Now e xte nde d to urba n a re a s. UPE is now a n influe ntia l a pproa ch to e cologica l studie s.
At the root of post-structura lism is the re je ction of the ide a tha t the re is a n y truly e sse ntia l form to a cultura l product, a s a ll cultura l products a re b y the ir ve ry na ture form e d, a nd the re fore a rtificia l/constructe d. Structura lists look a t the founda tiona l structure s im plicit in a ll productions of a culture , a nd unde rta ke a n a na lysis of the m a n y pa rts tha t cre a te som e thing, to g e t a be tte r unde rsta nding of the cre a tion.
Escobe r , for insta nce , a rgue d tha t tha t toda y’s susta ina ble de ve lopm e nt discourse - tha t ha d its origins in the Club of Rom e re port a nd ga ine d broa de r re cognition a fte r the Brundtla nd Re port - through the pe rm a ne nt stre ssing of the m a na g e m e nt of re source s, a nd conce ption of the Ea rth a s a ‘gia nt m a rke t /utility com pa n y’ (Escoba r 1 996).
Ana lysing thre e m a jor fa m ine s (Be ng a l 1 943, Ethiopia 1 97 8, Ba ngla de sh 1 979), Se n a sks whe the r the re (i) wa s a m e a sura ble de cre a se of a va ila ble food; (ii) wha t occupa tiona l a nd socia l sta tus do fa m ine victim s posse ss; a nd (iii) whe the r or not fa m ine victim s suffe r a sha rp de cre a se of the ir e ntitle m e nts to food – a nd if so, wh y . Se n de m onstra te s tha t in a ll thre e fa m ine s shorta g e of food wa s not the prim a ry fa ctor for the fa m ine . Ra the r a m a rgina lise d se gm e nt of the popula tion ha d suffe re d a colla pse of the ir m e a ns of com m a nd ove r food, thus turning the m into fa m ine victim s.
To m a ke his point Se n dra ws a com pa rison with civil rights in the Unite d Sta te s whe re e ve ry citize n ha s the constitutiona l right to vote . Howe ve r, it is the ca pa bility to m a ke use of one ’ right to vote tha t de te rm ine s whe the r or not citize ns a ctua lly vote . Sim ila rly , whe n it com e s to la nd a nd othe r re source a cce ss, it is not the a va ila bility of it, but the com m a nd ove r it tha t le a ds to sudde n cha ng e s in inte r-group distribution pa tte rns (Se n 1 98 1)
Ce ntra l to Politica l e cology a pproa ch is e n vironm e nta l cha ng e a nd the ir politica l im plica tions. Following studie s inspire d b y ne o-Ma rxist conce ptions politica l e cology a pproa che s we re conside ra bly broa de ne d b y ne w m e thods a nd conce pts. Focus re m a ins on discourse s on the study of fore st use a nd in volving fore st re soruce s. In a la ndm a rk study in Ja va (1 992), Pe luso, Na ncy Le e de scribe s the struggle be twe e n loca l inha bita nts a nd the gove rnm e nt ove r the use of the ra infore st. she a na lyse d this loca l conflict in a broa de r historica l pe rspe ctive .
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