As part of TRANS-lighthouses International cooperation - North-South community of practice, Dr. Gabriela Merlinsky of the TRANS-Lighthouse associated partner Gino Germani Institute at the University of Buenos Aires, proposed and co-organized together with CES Team member Gustavo García López, two workshops in Buenos Aires and Coimbra on ecofeminist experiences with ecological defense and regeneration as nature-based solutions, coupled with a one-month stay in Coimbra to participate in additional activities.
The workshops, titled “Us and Environmental Care: Experiences from the Bodies and Territories”, were co-organized and facilitated by Gabriela Merlinsky The aim was to facilitate the sharing of experiences of care and defense of territories as a way of networking and contributing to the strengthening of ecofeminist organizations, environmental defenders, women's organizations and feminist experiences of environmental care. Furthermore, they aimed to generate comparative south-north instights on ecofeminist approaches to nature-based solutions. The dynamics of the workshop focused on three issues: a) practices of restoration, environmental recomposition and (re)creation of life and their relationship with practices of personal, environmental and community care; b) experiences of recording and making visible practices that incorporate artistic, visual languages, etc.; and c) potential ways of articulating experiences to give them greater visibility and reach. The topics were divided into three deliberative activities combining small groups and all-participant assemblies.
The first workshop, held in the Museo del Hambre (an autonomous social center) in Buenos Aires on April 26, hosted twenty-one women, while the second workshop, held in Casa da Esquina (a cultural center) in Coimbra on June 21, hosted twenty-four. The participants included leaders of struggles in defense of rivers and wetlands, forests, food sovereignty, fisheries, among others. While the first workshop was predominantly from Argentinian activists (except for one visiting colleague from Venezuela), the second workshop was more international, hosting Portuguese activists together with invited participants from Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Brazil and Mozambique.
As part of her 1-month research stay in Coimbra, Dr. Merlsinky was also participant at the 4th national Political Ecology Gathering, held in Coimbra May 23-24, where she co-shared with Dr. Delmy Tania Cruz the keynote roundtable “Ecologias Feministas do Sul Global” (“Global South Feminist Ecologies”). Her stay ended with a very productive meeting with CES Team members Isabel Ferreira (PI), Andrea Barbas and Gustavo Garcia Lopez, which led to the planning of future activities for the project, including an online seminar with other network members on “Gender and nature-based solutions”.
Text & photos: Gustavo Garcia
Header photo: Participants at the second "Us and environmental care" workshop in the Casa da Esquina, Coimbra, Portugal, June 21.
Picture 1 (side): Participants at the first of two "Us and environmental care" workshop in the Museo del Hambre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 26.
Picture 2 (side): Gabriela Merlinsky (Left) speaking together in the plenary roundtable together with Delmy Tania Cruz (center, UNICACH, Mexico) and Ananda Martins (right, CES, Portugal) at the 4th Political Ecology Gathering, Coimbra, May 23.
As part of TRANS-lighthouses International cooperation - North-South community of practice, Dr. Gabriela Merlinsky of the TRANS-Lighthouse associated partner Gino Germani Institute at the University of Buenos Aires, proposed and co-organized together with CES Team member Gustavo García López, two workshops in Buenos Aires and Coimbra on ecofeminist experiences with ecological defense and regeneration as nature-based solutions, coupled with a one-month stay in Coimbra to participate in additional activities.
The workshops, titled “Us and Environmental Care: Experiences from the Bodies and Territories”, were co-organized and facilitated by Gabriela Merlinsky The aim was to facilitate the sharing of experiences of care and defense of territories as a way of networking and contributing to the strengthening of ecofeminist organizations, environmental defenders, women's organizations and feminist experiences of environmental care. Furthermore, they aimed to generate comparative south-north instights on ecofeminist approaches to nature-based solutions. The dynamics of the workshop focused on three issues: a) practices of restoration, environmental recomposition and (re)creation of life and their relationship with practices of personal, environmental and community care; b) experiences of recording and making visible practices that incorporate artistic, visual languages, etc.; and c) potential ways of articulating experiences to give them greater visibility and reach. The topics were divided into three deliberative activities combining small groups and all-participant assemblies.
The first workshop, held in the Museo del Hambre (an autonomous social center) in Buenos Aires on April 26, hosted twenty-one women, while the second workshop, held in Casa da Esquina (a cultural center) in Coimbra on June 21, hosted twenty-four. The participants included leaders of struggles in defense of rivers and wetlands, forests, food sovereignty, fisheries, among others. While the first workshop was predominantly from Argentinian activists (except for one visiting colleague from Venezuela), the second workshop was more international, hosting Portuguese activists together with invited participants from Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Brazil and Mozambique.
As part of her 1-month research stay in Coimbra, Dr. Merlsinky was also participant at the 4th national Political Ecology Gathering, held in Coimbra May 23-24, where she co-shared with Dr. Delmy Tania Cruz the keynote roundtable “Ecologias Feministas do Sul Global” (“Global South Feminist Ecologies”). Her stay ended with a very productive meeting with CES Team members Isabel Ferreira (PI), Andrea Barbas and Gustavo Garcia Lopez, which led to the planning of future activities for the project, including an online seminar with other network members on “Gender and nature-based solutions”.
Text & photos: Gustavo Garcia
Header photo: Participants at the second "Us and environmental care" workshop in the Casa da Esquina, Coimbra, Portugal, June 21.
Picture 1 (side): Participants at the first of two "Us and environmental care" workshop in the Museo del Hambre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 26.
Picture 2 (side): Gabriela Merlinsky (Left) speaking together in the plenary roundtable together with Delmy Tania Cruz (center, UNICACH, Mexico) and Ananda Martins (right, CES, Portugal) at the 4th Political Ecology Gathering, Coimbra, May 23.
