Welcome to the International Women's Day edition of
WEGO in Action
Two years ago, on IWD, with purple balloons, cake and music, WEGO was launched, and I gave my inaugural lecture called 'Feminist Perspectives on Sustainable Development, Take II'. WEGO is now firmly putting feminist political ecology (FPE) on the academic and activist map. First in the different localities where WEGO PhDs are doing their research. Second, in various academic venues. And third, in different feminist and social movement campaigns.
We could have foreseen some of these achievements two years ago. What we could not have foreseen is the way WEGO is working together, with care, and with hope. Even when not everything has gone completely as expected, we have pulled together to overcome the problems, individually or as a network. This is what IWD is about, continuing to confront together the difficult issues as women (of whatever body, age, race, class, ethnicity we identify or perform). As we celebrate IWD 2020 in different places, it is good to reflect on how important WEGO is as a feminist network, connecting across generations, moving beyond academic goals to work in solidarity, fully aware of the bigger ecological political, economic and social picture. There is much to celebrate as well as to overcome. But one thing we have definitely learned, reading about the damage of plastics for the Earth, is that any sustainable celebration cannot include balloons, of whatever colour.
Wendy Harcourt 1 March 2020 |