Student: Lex Shapiro
Graduation date: May 2017
Capstone type: Thesis (honors)
Capstone project:
Pluralizing Paradigms: Rights of Mother Earth in the Plurinational State of Bolivia
Capstone file(s): Show file | Show file
In this project I examine the complex relationships between humans and the environment in a context where legal rights are extended to recognize pluralism within the human population, and granted to the beyond human world as Madre Tierra. In order to frame my research I ask: How can histories of unequal power relationships be redressed? Using political ecology frameworks and postcolonial theories, I explore the power relations involved in environmental politics, conflicts and ethics, both in how they came to be and the current realities of ongoing events. By asking more specifically: How and why were constitutional and legislative rights given to Madre Tierra in Bolivia, and in what ways have they been realized? I explain the importance of our histories and how they continue to affect and implicate today.