The Jean Monnet Chair on Feminist Epistemic Justice in the EU and Beyond (FEJUST) is proud to highlight the research output "Ecofeminist Struggle for Epistemic Recognition Beyond the EU: The Case of Akbelen Forest in Turkey," co-authored by Diğdem Soyaltın-Colella (a team member of FEJUST Jean Monnet Chair) and Defne Gönenç. This article, published in the Journal of Gender Studies, stems from the virtual workshop Reimagining EU Politics: Embracing Feminist Epistemic Justice and Decolonial Perspectives, held on June 7, 2024, organized by FEJUST and Bahçeşehir University. The paper is open-access and represents a significant contribution to integrating ecofeminist perspectives into climate justice discussions.
The paper investigates the intersection of ecofeminism, climate justice, and epistemic recognition, focusing on the grassroots resistance against coal mining in the Akbelen Forest, Turkey. The research critically examines how bottom-up ecofeminist activism empowers marginalized women and communities, creating spaces for epistemic recognition in environmental governance. It situates local struggles within broader critiques of the EU’s gender- and justice-blind climate policies, which, while advocating for global green norms, often fail to address localized social and gender inequities.
Key findings of the study reveal that ecofeminist activism in Akbelen has (1) empowered women to challenge patriarchal power structures and contribute to climate activism; (2) fostered epistemic recognition by integrating the local knowledge of rural women into climate justice discourse; (3) exposed the shortcomings of the EU’s climate governance, which often prioritizes market-based solutions over justice-oriented frameworks.
Despite the activism’s successes, the study highlights structural barriers in Turkey—patriarchal norms, authoritarian governance, and corporate interests—that limit the inclusion of feminist perspectives in policy-making.
This research resonates deeply with FEJUST’s mission to address epistemic injustices and amplify marginalized voices in policymaking. By showcasing how ecofeminist activism fosters inclusivity and gendered perspectives in climate governance, the article enriches the discourse on feminist epistemic justice. It critiques the EU’s role as a “green normative power” by highlighting its failure to integrate gender-sensitive and justice-oriented approaches into its external climate policies, particularly in candidate countries like Turkey.
The study also emphasizes the transformative potential of grassroots activism in bridging the gaps left by top-down governance models. It aligns with FEJUST’s commitment to promoting participatory and intersectional approaches to justice, ensuring that diverse perspectives, especially those of women, are integral to climate and policy responses.
The publication of this article is a testament to FEJUST’s dedication to fostering collaborative and interdisciplinary research that bridges academic, civil society, and local perspectives. By facilitating the workshop where this research was first presented and supporting its development into a published output, FEJUST underscores its role in advancing feminist epistemic justice in the EU and beyond. This work serves as a call to action for both policymakers and scholars to address the pressing need for ecofeminist and inclusive frameworks in climate governance.
TR
