Üner, Büsra
Research Interests:
Environmental sociology, feminist political ecology, gender studies, decolonial feminisms, social movements, qualitative methods, environmental and climate justice, critical theory, geographical information systems, non-human and human rights, peace and conflict studies.
Geographical Area :
South Africa, Turkey
Current Project:
The (Non-)Articulated Feminist and Environmental Movements in the Intersection of (In)security, Poverty, and Injustice: A Case of Somkhele in South Africa
South Africa, like many resource frontiers, has witnessed a significant expansion in resource extraction activities in recent years. In particular, coal mining has intensified in the KwaZulu-Natal region near Durban (Finkeldey 2023), with coal being transported overseas via the ports of Richards Bay and Durban. Somkhele, a village located 60 kilometers from Richards Bay, has borne the brunt of this industry since 2009. The impacts of coal mining in this region are compounded by the increasing severity of climate change, resulting in widespread poverty, food insecurity, energy shortages, and water scarcity. For the people of Somkhele, the hardships are exacerbated daily, yet they remain reliant on external aid, particularly from civil society organizations, to alleviate their plight.This situation raises critical questions about the dynamics of environmental and climate injustice in South Africa: Why has there been limited community mobilization in response to these intersecting crises, even as other forms of social injustice continue to worsen? And, more pointedly, why have local movements in South Africa not more prominently connected with global and transnational movements like La Via Campesina and the World March of Women, which address similar environmental and social justice concerns? Existing studies on environmental justice, social movements, and mining conflicts consistently highlight the unequal distribution of environmental risks, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities in rural areas whose livelihoods are directly tied to the land (Temper et al., 2015; Anguelovski & Martinez-Alier, 2014; Mohai et al., 2009; Schlosberg, 2007; Martinez-Alier, 2002). These studies also emphasize that environmental harms are often distributed along lines of race and class. However, there is a significant gap in this literature: the gendered dimensions of environmental degradation are frequently overlooked, both in the academic analysis of environmental justice and in the framing of social movements and policymaking, particularly within the African context. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring how environmental and climate injustices intersect with gender in the framing of both local and transnational movements. Specifically, it seeks to understand why gendered experiences of environmental harm have not more prominently shaped the mobilization strategies of South African movements, and why these movements remain relatively disconnected from global networks addressing similar issues.
Publications:
Üner, B. (2023). Jojo: Su(suz)luğun Diğer Adı. [Jojo: Another Name of Water(less)ness]-a photo documentation of the Ph.D. fieldwork photos. Hatırlamak ve Anlamak İçin Şehre Bak. https://www.sehrebak.org/TR/Call/1298-Doga-Kent-Insan-Zitlik-Mi-Uyum-Mu/1316-Jojo-Susuzlugun-Diger-Adi/
Üner, B. (2023). Defending nature: Transformation of the space through grassroots activism against the threat of extractivism. Environmental and Earth Sciences, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v6i2.1037
Üner, B., Zıngıl, Ö., Gölcük, S., Boyacı, S., & Kara, C. (2023). SLAPP: Strategic Lawsuit against public participation in environmental disputes. Center for Spatial Justice (Mekanda Adalet Derneği in Turkish). https://mekandaadalet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MAD_SLAPP_rapor_EN.pdf
Üner, B., & Zıngıl, Ö. (2022). An overview of the corporate human rights responsibility in Turkey. Center for Spatial Justice (Mekanda Adalet Derneği in Turkish). https://mekandaadalet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MAD_Corporate_Human_Rights_Responsibility_report.pdf
Contact: E-mail: buesra.uener@uni-bayreuth.de; Building: GWII, Room 00.03