Exploring Intersectionality in Taiwan’s Environmental Movements

Environmental social movements constitute a major of area of interest within social science research on and within Taiwan.  Great attention has been placed on the relationship between Taiwan’s political liberalization, economic development, and the rise of the three main strands of environmentalism, namely: the anti-pollution, the anti-nuclear, and the wildlife conservation movements. Academic scholarship on these strands has so far developed along three areas of concentration pertaining to social activism, environmental controversies, and environmental policy and governance. In spite of the considerable volume of literature on these topics, the concept of ‘intersectionality’ appears to have remained largely absent from discussions on Taiwan’s environmental movements. Nevertheless, intersectional issues can be observed in various instances. Most prominently, in debates related to conservation issues or environmental justice and indigenous rights. Intersectionality, or lack thereof, can also be observed in the aspect of gender and women’s participation in the environmental movement, as well as in the marginal position of animal rights/welfare. Given the increasing relevance of intersectionality across various areas of social mobilization and research, exploring this aspect and assessing it within Taiwan established social movement scholarship is a timely endeavor.