Actualités et agenda
Nos formations
Présentation
Natural resources are foundational to the functioning of our economy and society: land and water, fossil fuels, minerals and biodiversity are crucial to the production of food and of primary commodities, besides being essential to the reproduction of life on earth. Further, ecosystems—from natural resources are extracted, are embedded with deeper meanings and values—cultural and intrinsic values of nature and other non-monetarily commensurable form of valuation of ecosystems, nature, and natural resources.
The module will guide the students through an analysis of the role of natural resources in contemporary capitalism. Natural elements – ‘the free gifts of nature’ – are understood historically as they become natural resources in capitalism and thus subjected to the capitalist productive process. The dynamics which transform nature into resources include processes of primitive accumulation, enclosure, accumulation by dispossession, privatization, commodification, financialization and international trade. As resource extraction across the world has increased, there has been a simultaneous increase of dispossession, disenfranchisement, socioeconomic immiseration and subversion of rights (human, labour, ecological, cultural, social etc.) of large numbers of already marginalized populations across the world. A strong manifestation of this process is the large number of cases of environmental injustices, resistance movements and ecological distribution conflicts over access to ecosystems and resources across the world. As advanced capitalism continually converts the most elemental biophysical realities into sources of rent extraction, critical political ecology becomes essential to political economic analysis—particularly towards understanding the asymmetric power underlays the extraction, trade, distribution, and consumption of resources across the world. On the other hand, this also allows us to develop an understanding of the related defensive social resistance movements in defence of ecosystems, rights, and territories across the world.
This module offers a theoretical toolkit from critical political economy and political ecology that helps deepen our understanding of the natural resource base upon which our food system and planetary life depends. The module is divided in three parts. The first part offers an introduction to the analytical, conceptual, and theoretical tools of critical political economy and some key issues that cut across all natural resources. Part II analyses the political economy of a selection of biophysical elements that compose primary commodities as natural resources: land, oceans, fossil fuels, minerals, and biodiversity. Part III presents an overview of some major debates around current patterns of natural resource use, climate change and sustainable development, and just transitions and offers theoretical foundations towards developing alternative economic pathways towards socioecologically viable progress for the future of global human society.
Part I: Conceptual, Theoretical and Analytical Foundations
Lecture 1: Introduction to political economy of natural resources
Lecture 2: Historical perspectives on the political economy of natural resources
Part II: Contemporary issues around natural resource extraction, consumption and distribtion
Lecture 3: Land and agrarian issues; and fossil fuels and minerals
Lecture 4: Air and water (rivers, oceans, and fisheries); and biodiversity and conservation
Part III: Towards transitions
Lecture 5: Just transitions: energy, resources and ecosystems rights
Lecture 6: Towards alternative economic systems; post-growth, post-development and degrowth
Modalités
A typical class will combine lecture with open discussion and small group exercises. Students are expected to come to class having read all compulsory assigned readings by the day they appear on the syllabus and be prepared to discuss them critically.
The course will be divided into six sessions (across three parts) of four hours each. Each four-hour session will further be subdivided into two major topics which will be covered across two hours each.
Part I of the module, which will include the first two classes, will discuss general approaches to the study of Political Economy of Natural Resources from a critical lens. This will include relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks, analytical tools and historical perspectives which shape the contemporary political economics of natural resources.
Part II of the module will introduce students to discussions and critical perspectives to explore contemporary issues around natural resource extraction, consumption, and distribution. This will include discussions on land and agrarian issues (including agricultural extractivism, the global food system, and ‘cheap’ labour), air and water, minerals, and biodiversity and conservation. It will also discuss the environmental justice movements and struggles for defence of land, territories, ecosystems, and natural resources across the world.
Part III of the module will present discussions on the major debates around transitions towards just and equitable distribution of natural resources and ecosystems across the world. This section will critically examine major contemporary discussions around green capitalism, conflicts around renewable energy transitions, as well as transformative alternative economic, social, and political frameworks towards socioecologically viable, just, and equitable transitions.
Assessments and Exams:
At the end of the second session, students will be asked to develop a 1-2 page proposal for the topic of their final essay. It is up to the student to choose something they are interested in which relates to the themes and topics we will read about and discuss throughout the course.
Upon finalization of the topics of their choice, students will be divided into small groups based upon common thematic interests of students’ chosen topics of the final essay.
At the end of the third session, student groups will be asked to present a brief summary of different thematic tracks of their topic of interest for the final essay. They will also submit the research proposal at this stage. Research proposals will be distributed to students in order to provide written peer-reviews. At the end of the fifth session, the students will be asked to provide a written peer review of a fellow student’s paper proposal. These peer reviews should be critical yet constructive, asking relevant questions, and making an effort to provide useful feedback.
At the end of the semester, the students will be required to submit the final essay of 4000 words on their topic of choice.
Submission timelines:
10th January: Division into thematic sub-groups
7th February: Paper proposal submission; group presentation
21st February: Peer-review submission
End of semester (date tbd): Final Essay Submission
Grading will be based on the following rubric:
- Paper proposal – 10%
- Peer review – 15%
- Attendance and participation in class discussions– 10%
- Group presentation– 15%
- Final Essay – 50%
Ressources
For each session, required and optional readings will be given.