Abstract

Feminist decolonial scholars have called for disengaging from the current system built on a hierarchical logic of race and gender central to modern, colonial thinking. They have looked to worlds outside the modern system to lead us out of current unjust practices harming both humans and the environment. Although policymaking may be seen as the stronghold of the current political agenda and of the structures that have led to the climate crisis, we argue that climate policies too, are also crucial for rethinking and transforming societies. Our examination of climate adaptation policies in Sweden and the literature from Europe shows how policy documents ignore and unknow the oppressive intersections of gender and power despite the knowledge that exists on these issues in the public domain. Drawing on the tools of agnotology, we examine how this is achieved by strategies of 'denial, dismissal, diversion and displacement.' Building on feminist post and decolonial scholarship, we make explicit the gendered and racial hierarchies and dichotomies underpinning these policy documents. At the same time, we bring attention to the nuances in the policy documents we study and look for the openings that might be used to bring about transformation by making these hierarchies explicit and calling them into question. We argue that a transformation is possible through a feminist post and decolonial intervention, even in policymaking otherwise ignorant of culture, values and the colonial histories that have produced contemporary society.

Keywords

Sweden; Climate adaptation; Policymaking; Agnotology; Construction of ignorance; Feminist decolonial thinking

Published in

Environmental Science and Policy
2023, Volume: 149, article number: 103564
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Arora Jonsson, Seema

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Wahlström, Nora

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Reduce inequality within and among countries


UKÄ Subject classification

Climate Research
Gender Studies
Social Anthropology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103564

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126563