Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Constructing and Deconstructing Nature - On the meaning of "nature" in the Eu and India's climate pledges, through a postcolonial lens

Mikkelsen, Nanna LU (2024) STVK04 20241
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Using a discourse theory and postcolonial approach, this thesis examines how nature is constructed in the EU and India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. Looking at how nature, a fundamental concept in global environmental politics, is articulated, this thesis adds to our understanding of climate politics in the context of colonialism and the North-South divide. Deconstructing discourses helps us understand a vital part of political action, but also the basic assumptions which shape environmental politics. Through logics of equivalence and difference, nature is in the NDCs constituted against the parties identities. The EU is articulated in the EU NDC as the active controller against controlled passive nature,... (More)
Using a discourse theory and postcolonial approach, this thesis examines how nature is constructed in the EU and India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. Looking at how nature, a fundamental concept in global environmental politics, is articulated, this thesis adds to our understanding of climate politics in the context of colonialism and the North-South divide. Deconstructing discourses helps us understand a vital part of political action, but also the basic assumptions which shape environmental politics. Through logics of equivalence and difference, nature is in the NDCs constituted against the parties identities. The EU is articulated in the EU NDC as the active controller against controlled passive nature, continuing older, European, colonial discourses. India’s NDC, explicitly positioning its discourse as different from “developing” countries, constructs nature as more spiritual and closer to (Indian) humans. This can be seen as a hegemonic intervention and a part of a decolonisation discourse. These discourses fail to be total. The Indian NDC, for instance, reproduces discourses similar to the commodified view of nature in the EU NDC: antagonism is highly present. Nature in the NDCs is a floating signifier: it is passive/active, separated/close, commodified/spiritual. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mikkelsen, Nanna LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK04 20241
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Discourse theory, postcolonial theory, Nationally Determined Constributions (NDCs), global climate politics
language
English
id
9152311
date added to LUP
2024-07-18 11:18:58
date last changed
2024-07-18 11:18:58
@misc{9152311,
  abstract     = {{Using a discourse theory and postcolonial approach, this thesis examines how nature is constructed in the EU and India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. Looking at how nature, a fundamental concept in global environmental politics, is articulated, this thesis adds to our understanding of climate politics in the context of colonialism and the North-South divide. Deconstructing discourses helps us understand a vital part of political action, but also the basic assumptions which shape environmental politics. Through logics of equivalence and difference, nature is in the NDCs constituted against the parties identities. The EU is articulated in the EU NDC as the active controller against controlled passive nature, continuing older, European, colonial discourses. India’s NDC, explicitly positioning its discourse as different from “developing” countries, constructs nature as more spiritual and closer to (Indian) humans. This can be seen as a hegemonic intervention and a part of a decolonisation discourse. These discourses fail to be total. The Indian NDC, for instance, reproduces discourses similar to the commodified view of nature in the EU NDC: antagonism is highly present. Nature in the NDCs is a floating signifier: it is passive/active, separated/close, commodified/spiritual.}},
  author       = {{Mikkelsen, Nanna}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Constructing and Deconstructing Nature - On the meaning of "nature" in the Eu and India's climate pledges, through a postcolonial lens}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}