Confronting global crises of inequality, unsustainability, confilct, and alienation, in the midst of COVID19, requires listening to voices of movements across world ... including those led by women and with a feminist orientation. Both resistance and construction of alternatives are being demonstrated, and lessons from them point to the need for ecoswaraj, a radical ecological democracy based on radical politics, economic democracy, social justice, cultural diversity, and ecological resilience.

1. Eco-swaraj -
Radical Ecological Democracy
Towards a Sustainable and Equitable World
Ashish Kothari
Kalpavriksh / Vikalp Sangam / Global Tapestry
of Alternatives

2. Dominant vision of ‘development’
Violence against nature, communities,
and cultures … growth as cancer

3. Violence against each of us: our identity, our health, our well-being!
Livelihoods to Deadlihoods
Illustrator unknown

4. COVID (and related
global crises):
an excuse for more
authoritarianism, or
opportunity for
systemic
transformation
towards justice,
equity,
sustainability?

5. What are we up against?
Structural roots of ‘developmentality’, unsustainability & inequity
Concentration of power
Capitalism
State-dominated regimes
Patriarchy
Caste / race / ethnicity
Anthropocentrism
….

6. Resistance …
(to capitalism, state domination, patriarchy, communalism,
etc)
… is part of the
alternative

7. Assertion of self-determination
& different ways of life,
recognition of the unrecognised
Dongria Kondh indigenous
people vs. Vedanta corporation
& Indian state

8. South Asia: alternative initiatives for well-being
Water
Crafts /
manufacturing
Shelter
Food /
agriculture
Energy
Governance
Livelihoods
Conservation
Village
revitalisation
Urban sustainability
Learning
Health
Producer
companies
Gender

9. •Empowering dalit women farmers, through collectives
•Securing women’s land rights
•Reviving traditional agricultural diversity / practices (millets)
•Creating community grain banks
Deccan Development Society, India:
conservation, equity, food sovereignty, livelihood
security

10. Seed as sacred, earth as mother

11. COVID outreach by DDS women
• 20,000 kg foodgrains for
relief
• 1000 glasses of millet
porridge / daily to
municipal/health/police
workers

12. Nayakrishi Andolan, Bangladesh
• Small-holder, diverse, organic farming
• Women at centre of decision-making
• Adequate stocks to last COVID lockdown

13. Maati Sangathan, Uttarakhand (India)
Women’s empowerment through nature-based livelihoods

14. Kachchh (India): Livelihood revival with
hybrid knowledge
“The loom is my computer”: Prakash
Vankar, Bhujodi village
Sheetal Hiteshbhai, Siracha village

15. Gram swaraj (village self-rule) & rural
revitalisation:
outmigration is not inevitable
Ralegan Siddhi & Hivare Bazaar (Maharashtra),
Kuthambakkam (TN), Kudumbashree (Kerala)

16. Right to a Sustainable City
‘’Homes in the City’, Bhuj (Kachchh, India)
•self-reliance in water, waste management, sanitation
•re-commoning spaces
•livelihoods & dignified housing for the poor
•empowerment of women and girls (Sakhi Sangini)
(Hunnarshala, Sahjeevan, Kutch Mahila Vikas
Sangathan, ACT, Setu)

17. Towards indigenous self-rule:
Vidarbha (Maharashtra, India)
Informed decisions
through monitoring, and
regular study circles
(abhyas gat)
Mendha-Lekha: All
decisions in gram sabha
(village assembly) only

“Our government in Mumbai and Delhi,
we are the government in our village”

18. Maha Gram Sabha, Gadchiroli
(Maharashtra, India)
• Federation of 90 villages
• Aims: stopping mining,
sustainable livelihoods, forest
rights & conservation, local
governance, women’s
empowerment, cultural
identity

19. Community
conserved areas
Community forests in
India, Nepal,
Bangladesh (CHT)
Baikka beel and
other wetlands in
Bangladesh
Hushey community
reserve, Pakistan

20. Learning / education: re-locating it in community,
ecological roots, creativity, inquisitiveness …
•Adharshila, MP
•Jeevanshala, Narmada
•SECMOL, Ladakh
•Imlee-Mahua, Chhattisgarh
•Marudam, Tamil Nadu
•Adivasi Academy, Guj
•Swaraj University, Rajasthan
•Beeja Vidyapeeth, Uttarakhand
•Bhoomi College, Karnataka
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Skhole = leisure!

21. Technology by/for/with/of people
Technological innovations to reduce ecological impact,
governed democratically
(malkha cotton weaving, AP; Hunnarshala housing,
Kachchh; Solar passive architecture, Ladakh)

22. Alternative Media, Communications, Arts
Freedom from govt & corporate control:
•Community radio (>150); FM?
•Mobile-based (CGNetSwara, Chhattisgarh)
•Movement newsletters, folk theatre
•Film/video (Video Volunteers)
•Internet (Scroll, Wire, Infochange, India Together …)
•‘Social’ networks … virtual communities
Pic: Puroshottam Thakur

23. The government responds…
• New laws:
– Right to Information Act
– National Employment Guarantee Act
– Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006
• New programmes:
– Organic farming policies / programmes in
16 states: Sikkim 100% by 2015, Andhra
‘Zero Budget farming’, Ladakh by 2025
– Renewable energy

24. Alternatives across the world
Commons
Solidarity
economy
Degrowth
Buen vivir / sumaq kawsay /
kametsu asaike
Ubuntu / ukama / unhu
Ecofeminism
Agroecology / permaculture
Biocivilisation
Ecosocialism
Zapatista
Kurdish Rojava
Kyosei
Country
Transition
Nayakrishi
Agaciro
GNH Agdal

25. Kurdish Rojava women’s movement
• Autonomy, direct democracy, ecofeminist
principles (in midst of war zone)
Images: courtesy Kurdish Women’s Movement
jineology

26. Feminising COVID responses
Economic recovery based on
creating dignified livelihoods,
protecting nature, ensuring
justice for all, reviving solidarity
… not bailing out corporations
and banks!

27. Feminising politics: municipalism
• Governance based on solidarity and collective
action, not hostile competition (e.g. Barcelona)

28. Solidarity economy, alternative currencies, open software:
options for urban youth
Beki local currency, Biekerech,
Luxembourg
Time-banking at neighbourhood
school, Athens, Greece
Pagkaki coop café, Athens
In India:
• Open software / ethical hacking
• Alternative media
• Transformatory arts (e.g. ‘Justice Rocks’
• Millet/organic food restaurants
• Non-profit shops

29. Towards a synthesis …
• None are perfect, but each show potential for
radical change
• What alternative framework(s) or vision(s)
emerge?

30. Eco-swaraj / Prakritik Swaraj:
Radical ecological democracy
(Radical = going to the roots, challenging the conventional)
• achieving human well-being, through:
– empowering all citizens & communities to participate in
decision-making
– ensuring socio-economic equity & justice
– respecting the limits of the earth
Community (at various levels) as basic unit of organisation, not
state or private corporation

31. Ecological resilience &
wisdom
(rights of nature, conservation)
Radical democracy / swaraj
(direct citizens’ power, accountable
representative institutions, borderless
world)
Economic democracy:
Earthshastra
(producer sovereignty, localised
self-reliance, caring/sharing,
commons)
Social justice & wellbeing
(justice, equity of genders, ethnicities,
castes … )
Culture & knowledge
diversity
(new learning, knowledge
commons, celebrating
creativity, spiritual / ethical
deepening)
Towards a sustainable and equitable society
5 interconnected, integrated spheres
VALUES

32. Can we think of ecoregional governance of South
Asia, beyond boundaries?

33. • Diversity and pluralism (of ideas, knowledge, ecologies, economies,
ideologies, polities, cultures…)
• Self-reliance for basic needs (swavalamban)
• Self-governance / autonomy (swashasan / swaraj)
• Cooperation, collectivity, solidarity, commons
• Rights with responsibilities of meaningful participation
• Dignity & creativity of labour (shram)
• Qualitative pursuit of happiness
• Equity / justice / inclusion (sarvodaya)
• Simplicity / sufficiency / enoughness (aparigraha)
• Rights of nature / respect for all life forms
• Non-violence, peace, harmony (ahimsa)
• Subsidiarity & ecoregionalism
• Fun!!!
Worldviews that celebrate life
Values & principles of
transformative alternatives ….

34. How to make macro-change
happen?
• Resistance /subversion
(sangharsh/satyagraha) + construction /
reconstruction (nirman/swaraj)
• Movements of the marginalised + critical
support by others
• Transition + transformation
• Visions of the future, critically building
on ancient worldviews

35. Vikalp Sangams (Alternatives Confluences):
collaborations, cross-learning, collective visioning of future
www.vikalpsangam.org

36. Commons
Solidarity
economy
Degrowth
Buen vivir / sumaq kawsay /
kametsu asaike
Ubuntu / ukama / unhu
Ecofeminism
Agroecology / permaculture
Biocivilisation
Ecosocialism
Zapatista
Kurdish Rojava
Kyosei
Country
Transition
Nayakrishi
Agaciro
GNH Agdal
Global Tapestry of Alternatives …
woven through exchanges, cross-learning, collaborations,
stimulating new weavers
www.globaltapestryofalternatives.org

37. Radical alternative
practices & worldviews
across world
120 authors, ~110
essays

38. UTOPIA?
Eduardo Galeano, quoting Fernando Birri:
"Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves
two steps further away.
I walk another ten steps, and utopia runs ten steps further
away.
As much as I may walk, I never reach it.
So what's the point of utopia? The point is this: it makes us
continually advance.”

39. • ashishkothari@riseup.net
• www.vikalpsangam.org
• www.radicalecologicaldemocracy.org
For more information….