Le Dragon Déchaîné

Malayali Pepper Chicken Curry!

by Antara Balaraman

By combining the spice of pepper with the creaminess of coconut milk, this chicken curry recipe is perfect for a big wholesome dinner! It is best eaten with hot rice and good company 🙂

(The pictures are not the best I KNOW, but the curry was simply too irresistible for me to pause for a photo shoot.)

Ingredients:

Around 500g chicken (can be any type of chicken, I prefer chicken legs but you could also use breast or thigh)
1 and a half onions
1 tomato
½ cup coconut milk
Around 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (either ready made (you can get this at Tony!) or a homemade mix of blended ginger and garlic
Curry leaves (if you have it, not necessary)
A bunch of spices!!
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ – 1 tsp red chilli powder (depends on your spice tolerance)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- Salt to taste (around 1 tsp)

Process:

Marinate your chicken with all the spices and the ginger-garlic paste. Try mixing all the spices into the chicken well. Don’t be too cautious with the spices at this stage because the coconut milk added later reduces the spice levels significantly. The chicken needs to be marinated for a minimum of an hour, however you could also leave it for a couple of hours or overnight for deeper flavour.

For the curry, chop up the onions into small cube-sized pieces and start frying them in some oil in a non-stick pan. Once the onions are glassy or golden brown (they should lose the raw smell), add chopped-up tomatoes. Keep stirring in the pan until the onions and tomato have blended into a mushed curry-base type texture. Then, add the marinated chicken into the pan, stir well, close the pan with a lid, and leave the chicken to cook. This should take about 10-15 mins. A good sign that the chicken is ready is when it looks tender, the chicken leg is falling off the bone, and the curry is releasing water. Once the chicken is cooked (it’s a good idea to break off a little bit of the chicken and check!), add the coconut milk, stir well and let it cook for another 7-8 mins. Then, do a little taste test to check if it needs any more salt or spice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. If less spicy than desired, add more pepper and red chilli powder. If the curry feels too dry, add a little water or coconut milk and cook it together.

Once it’s done, serve with some hot rice and bon appetit!

Very legitimate chicken curry reviews that were definitely not coerced:

“It was really spicy and nice and warm and hearty and chicken-y. It was one of the best curries I’ve had.” – Boo

“The chicken curry is flavourful and rich. It is reminiscent of authentic Indian tastes and it’s a must-try if you want to experience the best chicken curry I have ever had.” – (Very truthful review by) Nayantara

If you try this recipe out, please please let me know and send me pictures! Feel free to ask me any more questions, including if you need help getting the spices 🙂

Yu Xuan’s Finals Season Recipe: Tangy Chunky Guacamole 🥑

It’s finals season for everyone, and we’re all stressed out and too tired to cook…

However, this is not an excuse to live off of baguettes and pasta boxes from Lidl! Hence, I present to you: my foolproof guacamole recipe! This will literally take you a maximum of 15 minutes to make, and I can promise you that it’s a party favourite.

P.S. I know that you can technically buy ready-made guacamole, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, the mix of fresh ingredients makes it taste so much better!!!

📌 Pro tip: how to choose ripe avocados

Make sure that the avocados you pick are the right colour! A shade of bright green usually indicates that it’s still unripe.
Use the bottom part of your thumb to lightly press against the avocado. If it leaves a slight indent, then the avocado is ripe.
Usually I get Lidl avocados in a pack of 2 large ones that are already labelled as “bien-mûr” (near the onions) to save myself the trouble of checking, because those are already perfectly ripe!

What you need:

2 ripe avocados
1 large tomato
1 onion
Lemon juice
Salt

Steps:

First, chop the onions into small pieces.
Then, chop the tomato into cubes.
Cut the avocados in half and de-seed them.
Use a spoon to separate the avocado from the skin, but leave the avocado in the skin.
Use a small knife to cut the avocados horizontally — first into slices, and then cut vertically so the slices become cubes.
Scoop out the avocado cubes from the skin.
Add all of the ingredients into the bowl.
Add a little salt and lemon juice to taste, and you’re done!

Apo’s review:

This recipe is a must to fight the grey and demotivating finals season: you can trust that this guacamole will boost your mood instantly and bring authentic Mexican flavours to your palate! I recommend this recipe to anyone that doesn’t want to waste time cooking when they should be studying, but still wants to enjoy a flavourful dish. I’m speaking from experience 😉

This guacamole was fresh, with the right amount of sweetness and acidity. When Yu Xuan mixed the fresh and juicy tomatoes with the crunchy red onions and the mashed avocado, it was as if magic happened! You can enjoy it with crunchy nachos like we did, on tacos or even on bread if you feel like it.

You won’t feel like going back to store-bought guacamole after having this. Please give it a try!

Happy eating,

From Yu Xuan and Apolline

Béton et betterave

par Manon Patouillet

Une analyse de la place du Havre dans la culture populaire, illustrée par deux figures emblématiques : le rappeur Médine et le film La Beuze.

Si Le Havre est souvent perçu comme étant la ville la plus laide de France, ou encore « la ville d’Édouard Philippe », en s’imprégnant de la vie normande, beaucoup apprennent à aimer la ville telle qu’elle est et apprécier son histoire unique.

Dans la culture populaire, certes, Le Havre est bien trop peu mentionné. Toutefois, quelques références méritent d’être prises en compte, à commencer par le domaine du rap, notamment à travers le rappeur havrais emblématique Médine.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/politique/legislatives-2024-le-rappeur-medine-en-concert-au-havre-contre-l-extreme-droite-5956236

Médine, de son vrai nom Médine Zaouish, est né au Havre dans l’ancien hôpital Guillaume le Conquérant et grandit dans le quartier du Bois de Bléville, près de la forêt de Montgeon, puis plus tard à Mont Gaillard. Il décrit son enfance et adolescence au Havre comme paisible et « sans problèmes ». Aujourd’hui, il vit toujours au Havre avec sa famille, et semble avoir de profondes attaches à la ville. Il déclare dans une interview se considérer « totalement havro-havrais ». Il ajoute : « Ma mère est née au Havre, j’ai toute ma famille là-bas, oncles, tantes, cousins, cousines, grosse fratrie ».Le Havre est aussi la ville dans laquelle il fait ses premiers pas dans la musique. En 1998, à 15 ans, il débute comme beaucoup de jeunes de son quartier, dans un collectif, et se produit sous le nom de « Global ». En 2004, il lance son premier album solo intitulé « 11 septembre récit du 11e jour ». Celui-ci reflète en particulier la plume engagée de Médine, souvent reconnu comme un rappeur politisé sur les sujets tels que le terrorisme islamiste ou le droit des femmes. Néanmoins, Médine produit au fil de sa carrière des albums également plus personnels, tel que « Storyteller », dans lequel il partage des expériences plus intimes de sa vie. Sur cet album figure le titre « Venom », dans lequel il fait référence à son identité, ses racines, et dont le clip est lui-même filmé au Havre. Au visionnage de celui-ci, on peut apercevoir les sites mythiques de la ville, tels que le Volcan ou l’église Saint Joseph.

Dans « La puissance du port du Havre » et « LH », le rappeur, cette fois, rend directement hommage à sa ville natale. Il souligne l’identité et l’histoire unique de la ville, et les épreuves qu’elle a dû surmonter, à commencer par les bombardements durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Aujourd’hui une des plus grandes villes portuaires au monde, il met en avant néanmoins les difficultés que rencontre sa population, notamment les plus marginalisés. Il déclare dans « LH » ; « On a des gueules d’après-guerre des gens pas très clairs avec des emplois précaires – On est des rats de conteneurs qu’on gagne ou qu’on perde – On choppe le cancer en même temps que nos salaires ».

Sa carrière longue et complète lui vaut souvent l’intitulé de « Daron du rap ». Or Médine est également le « Daron du Havre ». Connu d’un grand nombre de la population havraise, le rappeur est une réelle star locale acclamée par beaucoup, et même saluée par le maire Edouard Philippe. De rumeurs, Médine peut être aperçu dans ses endroits favoris du Havre, tel que l’esplanade de la plage, les Jardins Suspendus, ou alors dans ses restaurants et bars favoris tels que Le Bout du Monde à Sainte-Adresse, ou Asian Kitchen. Le 9 novembre, les Havrais ont surtout pu l’apercevoir au Carré des Docks, où il a tenu un concert à la maison, à l’occasion de ses 20 ans de carrière, qui a débuté dans cette même ville.

Le hit « La puissance du port du Havre » est en réalité inspiré d’un film réalisé par François Desagnat et Thomas Sorriaux intitulé « La Beuze ». Le film raconte les aventures de deux amis, Alphonse et Scotch, qui découvrent au Havre un stock de cannabis, ayant appartenu à des nazis, et utilisé afin de faire des expérimentations sur les humains. Ces derniers seront alors poursuivis par la police et le fils d’un ex-nazi voulant récupérer « la Beuze », tandis qu’ils essayent de lancer un business de cannabis à Paris.

Le choix du Havre comme ville dans ce film n’est sûrement pas innocent. En effet, en tant que grande ville portuaire, Le Havre a été aussi dans le passé et toujours aujourd’hui le berceau pour de nombreux trafics de drogues, et notamment de cannabis, appelé « la Beuze » dans le film. Une des chansons, « Alphonse Brown », parle elle aussi de « la puissance du port du Havre », et de sa « culture de la betterave », sous-entendant plutôt la culture de la « bicrave ».

Grandissant avec ce film, Médine explique néanmoins dans une interview, que « c’était dur de venir du Havre dans les années 2000 et de souffrir de la culture de la betterave comme il le disait ». En effet, ce film offre une représentation caricaturale de la ville du Havre, insistant sur son ambiance industrielle et portuaire, marqué par le trafic de cannabis, et des personnages plus loufoques les uns des autres. Au-delà du film, Le Havre dans l’opinion publique et la pop culture est souvent associé au trafic de drogue qui transite son port, ce qui déçoit la population havraise, dont le sentiment est sûrement celui de la peine que leur ville ne soit pas représentée à sa juste valeur.

Néanmoins, ces dernières années, la ville semble vouloir se détacher de l’image négative collée à sa peau. Médine, mais sûrement beaucoup des habitants vivant depuis longtemps au Havre, remarque que la ville s’est « boboisé », sûrement due à la récente gentrification, ou bien à son inscription au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco en 2005.

Le Havre met en avant son identité forte et son architecture qui est certes particulière, mais qui est surtout le fruit d’une histoire encore plus unique. Au travers de différents événements et projets artistiques, tels que Un été au Havre ou Béton, c’est aussi cette histoire que la ville tente de faire passer, refusant de se réduire à l’image caricaturale de la « ville de béton et de betterave ».

L’Hémicycle’s Paris Trip (and more): What To Expect This Year

English text by Carmen Leong

French translation (below) by Claude Leroy-Pinto

If you were lucky enough to have been online when our Google form dropped, you’d know that the annual Paris trip organised by L’Hémicycle will be taking place from 15 to 17 January next year! Thank you to everyone for your enthusiastic participation, and congratulations to the 60 students who managed to snag a spot. Our logistics team is currently working hard to plan a fun and fruitful experience for our participants, and if you’re curious about what to expect for this year’s edition of the trip, this article is for you.

And if you have not been able to register, do not worry! The end of the article should interest you…

Last year, we visited important French institutions like the National Assembly and Constitutional Council, where students learned about the inner workings of the French parliamentary system and watched them in practice. Last year’s participants described the trip as “enlightening”, “enriching” and “insightful”. “In terms of learning,” said one student, “I think nothing compares to actually being inside a living, breathing political institution. At SciencesPo, so much of our studies remain limited to the realm of theory, [so] to watch French politics in practice is something else altogether – even more so for international students like myself.” During our interviews with them, which we posted as an Instagram reel, another student even shared a memorable anecdote from the excursion: when the group took a picture in the National Assembly, Director Hauchecorne commented that at least 1-2 of the students in the picture would be working at the same institution within a few years! Truly a SciencesPo moment.

In anticipation for this coming edition of the Paris trip, we interviewed Noa Belarbi, the leader of our Logistics team.

Interviewer: What can you tell us about the Paris Trip itinerary so far?

Noa: For now, our goal with this year’s edition of the Paris Trip is to innovate. We still want to provide students with the opportunity to visit national institutions like the National Assembly and the Senate, but we also want to switch things up a little bit so that this trip is stimulating for [returning] students who participated last year. Therefore, we’re hoping to add new activities on the itinerary, including visits to foreign embassies or diplomatic institutions; for our interactive conference, we will also be joined by a new speaker whom we believe will offer great insight and fruitful engagement with students on topics that they might not yet be familiar with.

To sum it up, this year’s itinerary is all about getting to learn what French politics has to offer in different fields.

I: What will this year’s participants be learning about?

N: The purpose of l’Hémicycle is to render French politics more accessible to students both French and international, from both SciencesPo and other universities. That said, in order to keep the Paris trip financially accessible, we have reserved participation for SciencesPo students only.

The goal of the trip is to familiarise students with French political institutions for educational and personal benefits. Through visiting these institutions, students will not only learn about their histories and evolution, but also meet and observe the different people working at their heart. Encounters and discussions with political figures will provide students with the rare opportunity to discover and consider new political perspectives, which the board of l’Hémicycle views as the essence of this trip.

I: Other than the Paris trip – and especially for those who did not manage to sign up in time – what else can students look forward to?

N: Other than the Paris trip, l’Hémicycle is going to be organising many events throughout the year. Students can look forward to conferences, discussions and our main event: the Parliamentary Simulation weekend! During this weekend, students from SciencesPo and other schools in Le Havre will gather and roleplay as Members of Parliament. Representing the interests of their “political party” in parliamentary committees, they will discuss, debate and suggest amendments. The weekend will conclude with a plenary session attended by all the MPs, who will debate the different commissions’ work and vote on the proposals of amendment.

This immersive experience will be not only educational, but also very entertaining, allowing students to meet, discuss and express themselves. We know from previous years that the Parliamentary Simulation weekend never leaves anyone disappointed – we could say it is the highlight of all l’Hémicycle events, so keep an eye out for it!

Clearly, there is much to look forward to for this year’s edition of l’Hémicycle! We hope that after reading this article, students are better informed about what to expect from the Paris trip as well as other upcoming l’Hémicycle events. Until then, follow us on our Instagram account to keep updated on our activities!

Note: Thank you to Noa Belarbi, Connor Donaldson and all interviewees for their insights and cooperation! All quoted responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Le Paris Trip de L’Hémicycle : Ce à quoi s’attendre cette année

Texte en anglais de Carmen Leong

Traduction en français par Claude Leroy-Pinto

Nous espérons que vous avez pu vous inscrire lorsque notre formulaire est sorti. Si c’est le cas, vous savez sûrement que le voyage annuel à Paris organisé par L’Hémicycle aura lieu du 15 au 17 janvier prochain ! Nous tenions à vous remercier pour votre participation enthousiaste, et à féliciter les 60 d’entre vous qui ont réussi à obtenir une place. Notre équipe logistique travaille en ce moment d’arrache-pied pour vous préparer une expérience divertissante et enrichissante. Or, pour l’instant, tout cela vous semble probablement vague. Alors cet article est là pour vous ! Si vous êtes curieux de savoir ce que cette édition du voyage vous réserve, vous êtes au bon endroit.

Et si vous n’avez pas pu vous inscrire, ne vous en faites pas ! La fin de l’article devrait vous intéresser…

L’année dernière, nous avons visité des institutions françaises importantes telles que l’Assemblée nationale et le Conseil constitutionnel. Cela nous a permis d’apprendre et d’observer le fonctionnement interne du système parlementaire français (la théorie des cours de PI ne nous suffisait pas !). Les participants de l’année dernière ont décrit le voyage comme “éclairant”, “enrichissant” et “instructif”. “En termes d’apprentissage,” a déclaré un étudiant, “je pense que rien ne vaut le fait de se retrouver dans une institution politique vivante. À SciencesPo, une grande partie de nos études reste théorique, donc voir la politique française en pratique, c’est tout autre chose – surtout pour les étudiants internationaux comme moi.” Lors de nos entretiens, que nous avons publiées sous forme de reel sur Instagram, un autre étudiant a partagé une anecdote marquante de l’aventure : lorsque le groupe a pris une photo à l’Assemblée nationale, Monsieur Hauchecorne aurait glissé aux élèves qu’au moins 1 ou 2 étudiants présents sur la photo travailleraient dans cette même institution d’ici quelques années ! Vraiment un moment SciencesPo.

Comme nous vous savons tous très impatients, pour vous préparer à l’arrivée du Paris Trip nous avons interviewé Noa Belarbi, la responsable de l’équipe logistique.

Interviewer : Que peux-tu nous dire à propos de l’itinéraire du Paris Trip jusqu’à présent ?

Noa : Pour l’instant, notre objectif pour cette édition du Paris Trip est d’innover. Nous souhaitons toujours offrir aux étudiants l’opportunité de visiter des institutions telles que l’Assemblée nationale et le Sénat, mais nous voulons également apporter un peu de nouveauté pour que ce voyage soit stimulant pour ceux qui y ont déjà participé l’année passée. Ainsi, nous prévoyons d’ajouter de nouvelles activités, par exemple des visites d’ambassades étrangères ou d’institutions diplomatiques. Pour notre conférence intéractive, nous accueillerons notamment un nouveau conférencier, que nous estimons capable d’offrir un grand éclairage et un échange fructueux aux étudiants sur des sujets qu’ils ne maîtrisent probablement pas encore.

Ainsi, l’itinéraire de cette année vise à découvrir ce que la politique française peut offrir dans une multitude de différents domaines.

I : Que découvriront les participants cette année ?

N : Le but de L’Hémicycle est de vulgariser la politique française aux participants, qu’ils soient français ou internationaux, de SciencesPo ou d’autres universités. Cela dit, afin de rendre le Paris Trip accessible financièrement, nous l’avons réservé uniquement aux élèves de SciencesPo.

L’objectif du voyage est de se familiariser aux institutions politiques françaises, tant pour des bénéfices éducatifs que personnels. En visitant ces lieux, nous apprendrons non seulement leur histoire et leur évolution, mais rencontrerons aussi les différentes personnes qui y travaillent. Les rencontres et discussions avec des figures politiques offriront une occasion de découvrir et d’envisager de nouvelles perspectives, ce que le bureau de L’Hémicycle considère comme l’essence de ce voyage.

I : Mis à part le Paris Trip, et notamment pour ceux qui n’ont pas pu s’inscrire à temps, à quoi d’autre les étudiants peuvent-ils s’attendre ?

N : En dehors du Paris Trip, L’Hémicycle va organiser de nombreux événements tout au long de l’année. Tels que des conférences, des discussions et notre événement principal : le week-end de Simulation Parlementaire ! Durant ce week-end, des étudiants de SciencesPo et d’autres écoles du Havre se réuniront et joueront le rôle de députés. En représentant les intérêts de leur “parti politique” dans des commissions parlementaires, ils débattront, discuteront et proposeront des amendements. Le week-end se terminera par une séance plénière à laquelle participeront tous les députés, qui débattront des travaux des différentes commissions et voteront sur les propositions d’amendements.

Cette expérience sera aussi ludique qu’enrichissante, permettant aux étudiants de se rencontrer, de discuter et de s’exprimer. Nous savons d’après les promotions précédentes que le week-end de Simulation Parlementaire ne déçoit jamais personne—on pourrait dire que c’est l’événement phare de tous ceux de L’Hémicycle, alors ouvrez l’œil !

Il semble qu’il y a beaucoup à attendre de cette édition de L’Hémicycle ! Nous espérons qu’après avoir lu cet article, vous en savez plus et que vous avez hâte des autres événements à venir de L’Hémicycle. D’ici là, suivez-nous sur notre compte Instagram pour rester informés de nos activités !

Exploring Ecofeminism

Reflections from SciencesPo Le Havre students on Feminist Chapter and SciencesPo Environnement’s Ecofeminist Week from November 25 – 28, 2024

By Syontoni Hattori-Chatterjee

I admit that even as an environmentalist and a feminist, I was unaware of ecofeminism, the movement linking the exploitation of women under patriarchy to the exploitation of the environment under capitalism and using this framework to dismantle both. It was through co-organizing Ecofeminist Week with fellow SPE members and our friends from FC that I learned about this political philosophy, whose foundations in Indigenous and local knowledge and nuanced criticism of technology-driven modernity spoke to me immensely. If you were able to participate in any of SPE and FC’s events from November 25th to 28th, I hope that some of the insights or key figures of ecofeminism that we presented interested you or made you see the world in a different light as well. What follows is a collection of photos, videos, and quotations from SciencesPistes that chronicle our all-too brief journey into discovering ecofeminism.

Monday: Documentary Screening of “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva”

We at SPE and FC could think of no better way to introduce our campus to ecofeminism than with this documentary on the life of Vandana Shiva. Shiva, raised around the forests of Uttarakhand in the newly independent country of India, was initially avidly passionate about physics. By her 20s, she had earned her PhD in quantum physics from The University of Western Ontario in Canada. But the Chipko movement back home, during which local female agricultural workers put their bodies on the line against deforestation by hugging trees in order to prevent them from being chopped down, entirely changed her purpose in life and worldview. She then spent over fifty years and counting engaged in environmental justice activism. Vandana Shiva is most well-known for her fight against Monsanto’s genetically-modified cotton seeds and the impact of patented and privatized commercial agriculture on small-scale farmers and on the genetic biodiversity of seeds.

A small but dedicated audience joined SPE and FC on Monday evening to watch “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva.” Participants came out of the screening reflective and inspired:

Thomas: “The Vandana Shiva documentary was very informative for me as I never made the connection between feminism and ecology. It was very interesting and I caught myself being fully immersed in the documentary, learning about this woman’s journey and environmental mission.”

Juliet: “The documentary “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” was truly eye-opening. I had little knowledge of how environmentalism and feminism intertwined, previously not seeing the connection, but the documentary opened the doors to understanding my role in environmentalism, not just as a person living in an ecologically declining world, but as a woman. Furthermore, it showed me that there are solutions to preserving the rights, lives, and environment of small farmers. Often, I find myself resorting to nihilism and a ‘there’s nothing I can do about it’ mentality but this documentary proved there’s hope. A great film about a great woman.”

Amelie: “I walked in the Grand Amphi expecting some vegan cookies and a way to escape PI revisions, and I was left speechless by the bravery and the wisdom of an Indian woman who was fighting a war I realised I knew so little about. The documentary was truly inspiring and very helpful to understand the stakes of our globalised food systems on the environment and local agrarian societies. This event not only provided (delicious) food for my stomach but also crucial food for my never ending Sciences Po activism thoughts. Thank you so much FC and SPE for this film session!!”

Tuesday: Hallway Jacket-Decorating Arts Workshop

On Tuesday, we brought a blank lab coat and extensive collection of felt markers to the main hall and let all of you decorate our jacket with drawings related to ecofeminism. The resulting multicolored manteau definitely upholds our campus’ reputation as the most artistic of the SciencesPos, and perhaps also the most inventive (not sure what a woman surfing and EVs ~exactly~ have to do with ecofeminism, but I appreciate the spirit).

Wednesday: Lunch Conference with Professor Manisha Anantharaman

In the middle of the week, we hosted a lunchtime talk with our very own Professor Manisha Anantharaman on some of the key figures and theoretical and praxis contributions of ecofeminism. Even though I had heard abundant praise from my SPE friends taking Dr. Anantharam’s Sociology Minor class, I was still awed by her engaging and clear presentation and regretted not choosing that minor, too (but it’s not too late for you, 1As!). I have high hopes that this feeling was shared by fellow SciencesPistes who continued to pour into and fill up the Grand Amphi. If you happened to miss this talk, however, read below for some of its key points as summarized by reflections from Sylvain, Ben, and myself.

Firstly, Dr. Anantharaman explained how ecofeminism views the material exploitation of nature, or non-human life, and the social domination over women, thus the exploitation of human life, as thoroughly intertwined. This expands upon the blind spots of traditional Marxist materialism to include further social and non-material aspects of domination. For Anglophone audiences, Carolyn Merchant’s “The Death of Nature” is a key work elaborating ecofeminist thought. Merchant critically analyzes the scientific revolution as not just technological progress but a shift from the Greek pre-modern view of nature as uncontrollable, agentic, associated with womanhood, and requiring a reciprocal relationship to a mechanical view of nature, which could now be divided, quantified, and controlled in the same way as women’s bodies. Through this analysis, Merchant ‘denaturalizes’ the nature/culture divide: she exposes how the separation of nature as ‘out there’ and away from culture and society is not inherent and comes from intentional historical processes. Hearing about Merchant’s work through Dr. Anantharaman felt like uncovering a missing puzzle piece. It not only complemented what I had learned in previous 19th Century History and Ecological Literacies courses, but pushed my critical understanding of the scientific revolution further by seamlessly linking the enclosure movement efforts to capture and extract value from nature to those efforts that rigidly constrain women to the home and exploit their unpaid domestic labor. Coming out of Dr. Anantharaman’s talk, I found the strongest salience of ecofeminist thought to be in its capacity to help us depart from commodified thinking about women’s labor and bodies and the environment all at once.

Thursday: Ecofeminist Roundtable with Local Associations at Le Hangar Zéro

Finally, SPE and FC participated in a discussion and debate at Le Hangar Zéro about ecofeminism alongside local Le Havre associations such as NousToutes. I was so proud to hear Elsa present ecofeminist sociologist Ariel Salleh’s work and to hear Anouk share Wangari Maathai’s life of advocacy with attendees sitting around Hangar Zéro’s cozy bar. While I did further learn about and discover new ecofeminist figures from the other presenters, figures including Françoise d’Eaubonne and Fatima Ouassak, I found the ensuing general audience debate to be the most interesting part of the evening.

We ended up talking about the involvement of local women in Le Havre against proposed industrial projects that would have harmful environmental impacts on the wider community. As the conversation moved forward, it was clear that the room was split between the perspectives advanced by two women there: one who declared that we should take advantage of higher gender equality between women and men and insert ourselves in male-dominated spaces such as public inquiries about these projects, and one who stated that we had the right to reject participation in spaces built on environmental and patriarchal domination that did not care about our voices to begin with. I perceived this divide as very representative of the perspectives of the different waves of feminism, applied to environmentalism, and appreciated the nuanced compromise offered by another attendee. She suggested that one of the major successes of feminist movements was creating a collective voice for women on intersectional gender-related issues, and therefore we no longer have to individually push our way into patriarchal, exploitative discussions, but can occupy space as a consolidated power, together. I appreciated the fact that this conversation at Hangar Zéro allowed participants to ardently disagree while still working together, something that I believe maintains an essential pluralism of ideas within and solidarity amongst social movements that reinforces our strength in numbers. I spent the whole walk home talking about ideas arising from this roundtable with a friend, and was reminded of why I came to SciencesPo in the first place.

I hope that you’ll take the time over the remainder of this holiday break to further explore ecofeminism, and see how it might complement or challenge existing ideologies and social movement frameworks that you care about. On behalf of SPE and FC, we’ll see you at future individual and collaborative events!