Reproductive Justice, Ecofeminism and Ecoterritorial Feminisms in Latin America

Reproductive justice is a theoretical framework developed by Black feminists in the US that transcends approaches focused on the right to choose' to have or not to have children to question how multiple and intersecting structures of oppression affect the ability to sustain life. Under this expanded approach to reproduction, it is possible to include in the analysis the ways in which structural conditions associated with environmental degradation and pollution shape reproductive experiences in Latin America. Although this approach is crucial in the context of the growing socio-environmental crisis and conflicts in the region, research focused on analyzing the relationship between reproductive justice and the environment is still incipient.

Far from pretending to “re-invent the wheel”, this paper proposes an exercise of systematization and discussion that puts in dialogue the North American tradition of reproductive justice with long-standing critical perspectives on reproduction and environment in Latin America, built from the experience of social movements, particularly ecofeminism and eco-territorial feminisms. Through this dialogue, we seek to (i) elucidate epistemic links and highlight points of convergence and divergence; (ii) underscore the experiences and theories of social movements (self-identified as feminist or not); and (iii) suggest ways to build ‘politics of coalition’ among social movements that, in different contexts and through various modalities, have historically struggled against environmental and reproductive injustices in their lived environments.