The Neo-Malthusian Reflex in Climate Politics: Technocratic, Right Wing and Feminist References

IF 1.3 4区社会学 Q2 WOMENS STUDIES

Australian Feminist Studies Pub Date : 2021-10-02 DOI:10.1080/08164649.2021.1995847

Susanne Schultz

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

ABSTRACT A neo-Malthusian reflex can be observed in the climate debate: statistical calculations link climate change to world population growth and suggest strategies for birth control. The undead neo-Malthusian ghost is being revived, with its reference to the category of ‘population’ and its colonial-racist and social-Darwinist legacies. This article discusses this dangerous development, paying particular but not exclusive attention to German constellations, showing that the actors who strengthen this narrative range from ecological mainstream positions to those right-wing forces who do not deny climate change. However, some climate activist and feminist positions have also contributed by advocating a birth strike as a strategy for containing climate change. The article analyses three dimensions of neo-Malthusianism: the abstract statistical construction of an excess population; the historically deeply rooted racist and classist attribution of this excess to ‘others’; and the totalitarian visions of global ‘fertility’ management. The argument is that even if the racist and classist attributions are not directly addressed by the more progressive political actors, the three dimensions of neo-Malthusianism strongly flow together and reinforce each other. In conclusion, the text takes up anti-Malthusian feminist perspectives which place a special emphasis on the concept of reproductive justice.

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气候政治中的新马尔萨斯反射:技术官僚、右翼和女权主义参考

在气候辩论中可以观察到一种新马尔萨斯反射:统计计算将气候变化与世界人口增长联系起来，并提出了控制生育的策略。不死的新马尔萨斯主义幽灵正在复活，它涉及到“人口”的范畴及其殖民种族主义和社会达尔文主义的遗产。本文讨论了这一危险的发展，特别关注但并非只关注德国星座，表明强化这一叙事的行动者包括从生态主流立场到那些不否认气候变化的右翼势力。然而，一些气候活动家和女权主义者的立场也做出了贡献，他们主张将生育罢工作为遏制气候变化的策略。本文分析了新马尔萨斯主义的三个维度:人口过剩的抽象统计建构;历史上根深蒂固的种族主义和阶级主义将这种过剩归因于“他人”;以及全球“生育”管理的极权主义愿景。论点是，即使更进步的政治行动者没有直接解决种族主义和阶级主义的归因，新马尔萨斯主义的三个维度也会紧密地联系在一起，相互加强。最后，本文采用了反马尔萨斯主义的女权主义观点，特别强调生殖正义的概念。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Australian Feminist Studies WOMENS STUDIES-

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Australian Feminist Studies was launched in the summer of 1985 by the Research Centre for Women"s Studies at the University of Adelaide. During the subsequent two decades it has become a leading journal of feminist studies. As an international, peer-reviewed journal, Australian Feminist Studies is proud to sustain a clear political commitment to feminist teaching, research and scholarship. The journal publishes articles of the highest calibre from all around the world, that contribute to current developments and issues across a spectrum of feminisms.