Articles by Defne Gonenc
Journal of Gender Studies, 2024
The European Union (EU), renowned as a green normative power, has adopted ambitious policies to p... more The European Union (EU), renowned as a green normative power, has adopted ambitious policies to promote a more inclusive and just approach to global climate governance. Existing research has already highlighted how excluding issues related to gender and social inequities from the European Green Deal undermines the EU’s green credentials. Yet, what is often overlooked, is that the EU’s gender- and justice-blind climate policies also perpetuate epistemic injustices, especially beyond its borders. In such contexts, the EU’s asymmetrical power allows it to prioritize its own climate goals while disregarding the unjust policies of incumbents against local climate struggles. This article, however, argues that bottom-up mechanisms can still open epistemic space for marginalized voices and local concerns and promote climate justice beyond the EU. Evidence from a local climate struggle in Muğla-Akbelen, Turkey, demonstrates that bottom-up ecofeminist activism driven by local environmental communities in collaboration with ecology advocates and experts has empowered villagers – especially women – against the hegemonic power structures and contributed to their epistemic recognition. However, despite their efforts, mining activities in the Akbelen forest have not stopped. The article also explores the structural factors that hinder the incorporation of ecofeminist viewpoints in Turkey’s policy-making process, which is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
Regional Environmental Change, 2024
Although several internal and external factors may influence environmental non-governmental organ... more Although several internal and external factors may influence environmental non-governmental organizations' (ENGOs) action sets and networking behaviors, their values and priorities deserve special attention. Existing research highlights the importance of mobilizing resources and utilizing political opportunities in environmental advocacy; however, there is relative silence regarding the impact of how ENGOs cognitively position themselves in a contested field. Through a quantitative analysis of survey data from 117 local ENGOs in the Aegean Region of Turkey, we examine whether and how organizational identity, scope of environmental issues, and core environmental purpose (transactional or informational) as three cognitive filters play a role in shaping grassroots ENGO activities and relationships with diverse actors. A set of regression models indicates that claiming an activist identity, pursuing a higher number of environmental issues, and having a confrontational goal significantly influences local ENGOs' strategic actions and the type and intensity of their external ties. These findings contribute to the discussions around resource mobilization theory and the political opportunity structure framework by highlighting the importance of intangible, less visible, ideological dimensions, and of cognitive framing in mobilizing for environmental causes.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2024
The special issue “Turkey, Asia, and the EU in a Changing Global Order” explores Turkey’s pivot t... more The special issue “Turkey, Asia, and the EU in a Changing Global Order” explores Turkey’s pivot towards Asia amidst a slowdown in its EU accession. It delves into Turkey’s increasing relations with Asia and its consequences for Turkey-EU relations. The issue also examines how Turkey’s growing ties with Asian actors affect its relationship with the EU, pondering whether these developments are competitive or complementary to Western interests within the framework of global capitalism, providing critical insights into the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2024
Traditionally, Turkey has been an ally of the transatlantic bloc. As a NATO member, with a majori... more Traditionally, Turkey has been an ally of the transatlantic bloc. As a NATO member, with a majority Muslim population and a free market economy, it was even hailed by Western powers as a model country in the 2000s. However, due to its acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, its desire to be a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and its military presence in Syria and Libya, many analysts have argued that Turkey’s foreign policy has experienced a pivot to Asia recently. This article systematically examines the current positions of various political parties in Turkey in this context using first-hand data. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 political party representatives, and by analysing their party programmes, the vision of different political parties in respect of Asia, their relations with Asian actors, their stance on Asian foreign direct investments and its environmental impacts, the Uyghur issue, and their thoughts on the period that will follow the Ukraine-Russia war are studied.
The International Journal of Economic and Social Research, 2023
The Eastern Mediterranean is a region entangled with shifting alliances and power rivalries. Bein... more The Eastern Mediterranean is a region entangled with shifting alliances and power rivalries. Being a part of the Ottoman Empire in the past and then suffering from colonialism in the first quarter of the twentieth century, the region is now disrupted by unexpected consequences of the Arab Spring, severe youth unemployment, intensifying religious movements, cycles of violence, continuous despair of migrants, the Syrian Civil War, and depressing socioeconomic conditions. The gas discoveries in the region are further fueling competition between states and multinational oil and gas companies and putting regional peace and collaboration at risk. How is Indian foreign policy towards such a turbulent and volatile region and how is it shaped? Despite India's growing importance in global affairs, research about the India-Eastern Mediterranean region remains scarce. This article first outlines and studies the key drivers of Indian foreign policy in the region. It then scrutinizes India's relations with two key Indian partner states in the Mediterranean, namely Egypt and Greece. Indian relations with Egypt and Greece are put under scrutiny both due to these countries' divergent sociological composition and varying locations within the Eastern Mediterranean region. The article finds that navigating the turbulences in the Eastern Mediterranean, India has adopted a cautious policy guided by the "middle path" tradition, "strategic autonomy" principle, and a multipolar approach.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2023
This special issue examines the increasing engagement of Asian countries in the Eastern Mediterra... more This special issue examines the increasing engagement of Asian countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. The region stands at the heart of many significant issues. While warming 20% faster than the global average,1 the region has significant and largely unexploited renewable energy potential. At the crossroads of key global maritime and land trade routes connecting Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, the region is also bestowed with remarkable hydrocarbon reserves, fuelling geopolitical tension between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus (the RoC)2/Greece in the absence of a delimitation regime agreed upon by all littoral states. Moreover, the region serves as a prominent irregular migration source and route to Europe. Along with the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict, ongoing regional tensions (e.g., Syria, Libya), poor governance, and environmental degradation all serve as push factors for migrants.
Asian actors’ increasing political economic penetration in the region will likely transform the geopolitical economic landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum. Hence it is useful to set out a general framework at global and regional levels, before elaborating on the articles included in this special issue.
Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
The notion of resilience is being increasingly used, without much criticism, in various areas of ... more The notion of resilience is being increasingly used, without much criticism, in various areas of the development debate, involving climate migration. Nevertheless, the concept incorporates several weaknesses which are
often ignored: it is a vague and non-transparent concept with shifting meanings, transfers the risk and responsibility of adaptation from the state onto the shoulders of individuals, and duplicates existing injustices.
Thus, it promotes the continuation of the status quo and overlooks the structural causes of socio-economic and environmental problems. This paper argues that resilience is a limited framework to deal with environmental harms and that environmental degradation should be dealt with in a framework of environmental justice because it provides a more comprehensive and just socio-ecological lens for the critical assessment and solution of environmental problems. The paper studies the phenomenon of climate migration in India and investigates why an environmental justice framework should be employed for analyzing and proposing solutions to environmental damage instead of resilience.
Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi, 2022
Hızlı sanayileşme, çarpık kentleşme ve derinleşen neoliberalizm çevre tahribatını giderek hızland... more Hızlı sanayileşme, çarpık kentleşme ve derinleşen neoliberalizm çevre tahribatını giderek hızlandırmakta, bu tahribatı önlemek için farklı çevreci örgütlenmeler ortaya çıkmaktadır. Araştırmamızın amacı, Ege Bölgesi’nde faaliyet gösteren çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşlarını, kurumsal ve finansal özellikleri, amaçları, çevresel öncelikleri, stratejik eylemleri ve ilişkileri açısından çok boyutlu biçimde incelemektir. Toplam 150 çevreci kuruluştan anket yöntemiyle veri toplanmış ve tanımlayıcı istatistiksel analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, incelenen çevreci örgütlerin hem çevre sorununa genel yaklaşımları hem de odaklandıkları çevresel meseleler açısından önemli bir çeşitliliğe sahip olduklarını göstermektedir. Öte yandan, bu kuruluşların amaç, faaliyet ve mücadele taktikleri, karar verici aktörler üzerinde doğrudan etki yaratmak yerine bireyleri ve toplumu bilinçlendirmeye dönük daha edilgen bir nitelik taşımaktadır. Bir diğer önemli bulgu, hem kaynak yetersizliği hem de ideolojik sebeplerle birçok çevreci örgütün bağlantı ve işbirliklerinin zayıf olmasıdır. Bu yetersizliklerin nedenleri, yereldeki etkin mücadele örneklerinin ve ortaklıkların hangi koşullarda ve nasıl çoğaltılabileceği, öne çıkan sorulardır.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2021
Litigation is being increasingly used by environmental movements in pursuit of justice as a last ... more Litigation is being increasingly used by environmental movements in pursuit of justice as a last resort. The environmentally harmful actions of transnational corporations in addition to the incapability of international organizations and the unresponsiveness of states to inhibit this damage are pushing citizens to courts. However, courts’ ability to address environmental injustices remains dubious. This article problematizes the efficacy of litigation for environmental movements to achieve long-term justice by examining Bergama and Artvin-Cerattepe movements from Turkey, through a case-study approach and borrowing from grounded theory. It discusses the reasons why litigation may provide short-term gains for environmental movements but is of limited effectiveness for pursuing change in the long-term, such as non-implementation of court decisions, policy changes impacting the execution of judgements, insufficient sentences not offering enough deterrence for future, and power imbalances between litigants impacting the courtroom etc.
Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 2020
Financialization and neoliberal globalization have increased the dependency of peripheral countri... more Financialization and neoliberal globalization have increased the dependency of peripheral countries on core economies. This paper tracks the neoliberalization processes of Greece and Turkey, two neighbouring countries on the periphery of Europe. By using a comparative political economy method and borrowing from the variegated capitalism literature, it critically investigates how these two Mediterranean countries were affected by the 2008 global financial crisis, their variant responses, and the impacts of those responses within their historical specificities. The development trajectories of these two countries were similar until the 1980s, but diverged thereafter. Before the 2008 financial crisis erupted, both Greece and Turkey had neoliberal trajectories; the process they experienced through the crisis (how they were impacted by the crisis, as well as how they responded) varied; yet, capitalist restructuring deepened in both countries after the crisis. This was achieved through rising authoritarian populism in Turkey and the pressure of international institutions (both the IMF and the EU) in Greece. Given that Greece is a member of the European Union and Turkey is a longstanding candidate, the variances between Greece and Turkey's neoliberalization processes and the differing impacts the 2008 global financial crisis had on them make studying the contrasts between these countries important and timely.
Environmental Politics, 2021
What happens when environmental protection is framed using human rights language? Here, a new typ... more What happens when environmental protection is framed using human rights language? Here, a new type of norm change-norm fusion-is conceptualized. Linking norms derived from different issue areas, it is realized through continuous use of strategic frames obtained from various issues, acceptance of the norm by society, and action in accordance with the new norm. The fusion process is decentralized and dynamic, does not proceed at the same speed everywhere and involves norm contestation. Norm fusion is discussed through the example of human rights and environmental norms. Environmental activists increasingly use a rights-based discourse, environmental cases are brought before human rights tribunals, and various international documents recognize the link between human rights and the environment. However, due to problems in the implementation of environmental rights in a neoliberal economic framework and clashes between environmental and human rights norms, fusion between environmental and human rights norms remains contested.
Devlet-piyasa-toplum-doğa arasındaki güç ilişkilerinin yeniden belirlendiği neo-liberal dönemde ç... more Devlet-piyasa-toplum-doğa arasındaki güç ilişkilerinin yeniden belirlendiği neo-liberal dönemde çevre hareketleri, katılımcıları açısından çeşitlilik göstermektedir. Arsel, Akbulut ve Adaman, çevre hareketlerinin sınıflandırmasını “zenginlerin çevreciliği” ve “yoksulların çevreciliği” ayrımının ötesine taşıyan “hoşnutsuzların çevreciliği” kavramını literatüre kazandırmıştır. Bu çalışmada amaç, “hoşnutsuzların çevreciliği” kavramını yeniden değerlendirmektir. Çalışma, Hindistan’daki Sardar Sarovar Barajı’na karşı ortaya çıkan çevreci hareketin katılımcılarını nitel araştırma yöntemlerini kullanarak incelemektedir. Hindistan’da gerçekleştirilen saha çalışması esnasında veriler hem toplu ve bireysel görüşme hem de katılımsız gözlem metotları kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Çalışmada, çevre hareketlerinin, katılımcılarını dönüştürdüğü bir süreç olarak ele alınması durumunda, “hoşnutsuzların çevreciliği” kavramının, sadece orta sınıf özelliklerini taşıyan grup için değil, çevre hareketine katılan tüm gruplar için kullanılabileceği savlanmaktadır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Hoşnutsuzların Çevreciliği, Çevre Hareketleri, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Barajı, Toplumsal Hareketler.
ENVIRONMENTALISM OF THE MALCONTENT AS A PROCESS: THE EXAMPLE OF SARDAR SAROVAR DAM FROM INDIA
ABSTRACT. In the neoliberal era, which redefines the power relations among the state-market-society-nature, the environmental movements differ in terms of their participants. Arsel, Akbulut and Adaman created the concept of “environmentalism of the malcontent” that moves beyond the distinction between the “environmentalism of the rich,” and the “environmentalism of the poor”. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent”. The study was undertaken by evaluating the participants of the environmental movement against the Sardar Sarovar Dam, located on the Narmada River in India, by undertaking qualitative research methods. Data is collected through individual and group interviews, and non-participant observation method during the field trip undertaken in India. In the article, it is argued that if the environmental movements are elaborated as a process which have transformative effects on its participants, the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent” can be used to define the environmentalism of not only the ones with the middle-class qualities, but also that of other groups in the environmental movement.
Keywords: Environmentalism of the Malcontent, Environmental Movements, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Social Movements.
Alternatif Politika, 2017
Bu makalede, çevresel güvenlik kavramının bir alt araştırma alanı olarak iklim güvenliği kavramı ... more Bu makalede, çevresel güvenlik kavramının bir alt araştırma alanı olarak iklim güvenliği kavramı ele alınıp, bu kavramın Türkiye iklim politikasındaki yeri irdelenmektedir. Bu amaçla, makalenin ilk bölümünde "çevresel güvenlik" kavramının literatürdeki gelişimi ele alınmaktadır. Sonrasında, çevresel güvenlik kavramının alt araştırma alanı olan "iklim güvenliği" söylemini değerlendirilmektedir. İklim güvenliği kavramı Birleşmiş Milletler, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Avrupa Birliği'nin tutum ve söyleminden örneklerle açıklanmaktadır. Makalenin gelişme bölümünde ise iklim güvenliği söyleminin Türkiye'nin iklim politikasındaki yeri araştırılmaktadır. İklim güvenliği söyleminin Çevre ve Şehircilik Bakanlığı'nın resmî belgelerinde, Türkiye'nin BM Güvenlik Konseyi'nde yaptığı konuşmalarda ve Türkiye'nin iki önemli gazetesinde çıkan haberlerdeki kullanılışı sözel içerik analizi metodu kullanılarak analiz edilmektedir.
Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2019
The political science and international relations literature has extensively analysed the role of... more The political science and international relations literature has extensively analysed the role of norm entrepreneurs, states, and international institutions as relevant actors generating norm transformation. However, although social movements’ reliance on courts to address core social problems has become a significant phenomenon, the role of the litigation process of social movements in norm transformation is understudied. Social movements have an ambiguous relationship with litigation. On the one hand, social movements perceive litigation to be the tool of the powerful, reproducing the status quo; on the other hand, it is argued that even when social movements lose their cases before the courts in the short term, legal mobilization can provide longer-term achievements. This article constructs a theory about the process through which the litigation of social movements impacts norm transformation. It proposes four mechanisms through which litigation plays a role in norm transformation: legal framing, legal interpretation, precedent setting and public attention. Through the examination of the Sardar Sarovar Dam as a case study, the analysis reveals that the role of the litigation process of social movements in norm transformation depends on how litigation mechanisms impact norm transformation in specific cases.
International Environmental Agreements, 2020
Ensuring sustainability of earth systems is intrinsically dependent on the incorporation of equit... more Ensuring sustainability of earth systems is intrinsically dependent on the incorporation of equity and fairness in the regimes and institutions that govern the global economy. Accordingly , to design effective and just earth system governance (ESG), it is crucial to understand how the global economic system affects access to and allocation of environmental benefits and burdens among people and countries around the world and what are the relevant causal mechanisms. By focusing on trade and investment as two predominant elements of today's global economic system, this paper reviews the literature developed within the ESG project in 2008-2017 to explore the relationships between the global economic system and access to and allocation of environmental benefits and burdens. Our review shows that ESG scholarship has begun to highlight the dynamics of unfair access and allocation deriving from the global economic system, ranging from the direct impacts of trade and investment on environmental inequality and socioeconomic opportunities to the indirect equity implications of certification schemes, environmental decision-making processes and environmentally motivated restrictions in international trade and investment regimes. However , it also notes that critical questions about the identity of vulnerable groups and the potential pathways for more equitable sharing of benefits and burdens remain understudied by ESG scholars. Hence, we call for more critical analysis of the role of the global economic system in perpetuating unsustainable patterns of access and allocation in ESG, as well as research about the local impacts of the global economic system on environmental access and allocation.
Book Reviews by Defne Gonenc
Southeast European and Black Sea Studies , 2023
Uluslararası İlişkiler, 2022
Journal of Chinese Political Science, 2021
Mediterranean Politics, 2020
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Articles by Defne Gonenc
Asian actors’ increasing political economic penetration in the region will likely transform the geopolitical economic landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum. Hence it is useful to set out a general framework at global and regional levels, before elaborating on the articles included in this special issue.
often ignored: it is a vague and non-transparent concept with shifting meanings, transfers the risk and responsibility of adaptation from the state onto the shoulders of individuals, and duplicates existing injustices.
Thus, it promotes the continuation of the status quo and overlooks the structural causes of socio-economic and environmental problems. This paper argues that resilience is a limited framework to deal with environmental harms and that environmental degradation should be dealt with in a framework of environmental justice because it provides a more comprehensive and just socio-ecological lens for the critical assessment and solution of environmental problems. The paper studies the phenomenon of climate migration in India and investigates why an environmental justice framework should be employed for analyzing and proposing solutions to environmental damage instead of resilience.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Hoşnutsuzların Çevreciliği, Çevre Hareketleri, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Barajı, Toplumsal Hareketler.
ENVIRONMENTALISM OF THE MALCONTENT AS A PROCESS: THE EXAMPLE OF SARDAR SAROVAR DAM FROM INDIA
ABSTRACT. In the neoliberal era, which redefines the power relations among the state-market-society-nature, the environmental movements differ in terms of their participants. Arsel, Akbulut and Adaman created the concept of “environmentalism of the malcontent” that moves beyond the distinction between the “environmentalism of the rich,” and the “environmentalism of the poor”. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent”. The study was undertaken by evaluating the participants of the environmental movement against the Sardar Sarovar Dam, located on the Narmada River in India, by undertaking qualitative research methods. Data is collected through individual and group interviews, and non-participant observation method during the field trip undertaken in India. In the article, it is argued that if the environmental movements are elaborated as a process which have transformative effects on its participants, the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent” can be used to define the environmentalism of not only the ones with the middle-class qualities, but also that of other groups in the environmental movement.
Keywords: Environmentalism of the Malcontent, Environmental Movements, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Social Movements.
Book Reviews by Defne Gonenc
Asian actors’ increasing political economic penetration in the region will likely transform the geopolitical economic landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum. Hence it is useful to set out a general framework at global and regional levels, before elaborating on the articles included in this special issue.
often ignored: it is a vague and non-transparent concept with shifting meanings, transfers the risk and responsibility of adaptation from the state onto the shoulders of individuals, and duplicates existing injustices.
Thus, it promotes the continuation of the status quo and overlooks the structural causes of socio-economic and environmental problems. This paper argues that resilience is a limited framework to deal with environmental harms and that environmental degradation should be dealt with in a framework of environmental justice because it provides a more comprehensive and just socio-ecological lens for the critical assessment and solution of environmental problems. The paper studies the phenomenon of climate migration in India and investigates why an environmental justice framework should be employed for analyzing and proposing solutions to environmental damage instead of resilience.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Hoşnutsuzların Çevreciliği, Çevre Hareketleri, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Barajı, Toplumsal Hareketler.
ENVIRONMENTALISM OF THE MALCONTENT AS A PROCESS: THE EXAMPLE OF SARDAR SAROVAR DAM FROM INDIA
ABSTRACT. In the neoliberal era, which redefines the power relations among the state-market-society-nature, the environmental movements differ in terms of their participants. Arsel, Akbulut and Adaman created the concept of “environmentalism of the malcontent” that moves beyond the distinction between the “environmentalism of the rich,” and the “environmentalism of the poor”. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent”. The study was undertaken by evaluating the participants of the environmental movement against the Sardar Sarovar Dam, located on the Narmada River in India, by undertaking qualitative research methods. Data is collected through individual and group interviews, and non-participant observation method during the field trip undertaken in India. In the article, it is argued that if the environmental movements are elaborated as a process which have transformative effects on its participants, the concept of the “environmentalism of the malcontent” can be used to define the environmentalism of not only the ones with the middle-class qualities, but also that of other groups in the environmental movement.
Keywords: Environmentalism of the Malcontent, Environmental Movements, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Social Movements.
fakir Güney ülkelerine taşınması ve fakir Güney ülkelerindeki doğal
kaynakların küresel ekonomi için kullanılması sonucunda özellikle Güney’in azgelişmiş ülkelerinde korkutucu boyutlara ulaşmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, çevresel bir sorun olarak kirliliği, onun sebepleri ve
sosyo-ekonomik sonuçlarını ele alarak tartışmaktır. Değişik kirlilik biçimleri ve kirletici çeşitleri, bu kirlenmelerdeki farklı aktörlerin rolleri
incelenerek değerlendirilecektir. Sırasıyla hava kirliliği, su kirliliği, toprak kirliliği, tehlikeli kimyasalların yarattığı kirlilik, atık kirliliği ve plastik kirliliği incelenecektir. Bu konular hem Türkiye’den hem de dünyanın diğer bölgelerinden örneklerle tartışılacaktır. Ayrıca, kirliliklerin büyük kısmının sadece ulusal değil uluslararası çevresel sorunlar olmasından hareketle bu kirliliklere yönelik uluslararası düzenlemeler de incelenecektir. Uluslararası düzenlemelerin yeterlilik düzeyleri ve uygulamadaki durum, dünyanın farklı yerlerinden örnekler verilerek tartışılacaktır.
uygulamada nasıl ele alınabileceği uluslararası ve ulus içi çevresel adaletsizliklerden örneklerle değerlendirilecektir. Çevresel adalet, uluslararası, ulus içi, kuşaklar arası ve türler arası olarak ele alınabilir. Bu yazıda, uluslararası çevresel adalete örnek olarak iklim adaleti, ulus içi çevresel adalete örnek olarak ise Türkiye’deki çevresel adalet düzlemi incelenmiştir.