Mona Lilja & Mikael Baaz (University of Gothenburg) | Location: PEG 1G.165

In our presentation, “What We Are Talking About When We Are Talking About Resistance (today)”, we aim to critically examine the evolving concept of resistance in the context of contemporary societal transformations. The talk reveal how different activist campaigns and outreach activities of the French environmental movement are currently spurring and cultivating a new human–nature relationship in the light of biodiversity loss and climate change. We will discuss how the civil society approach “nature” as either overlapping with, entangling or being created by, humanity. The way in which the activists are ‘nature’ also suggests a longer time perspective, in which their bodies exceed their own corporeality, and they become part of the cyclic process of nature and the birth-death-rebirth continuum of bodies and plants. Moreover, we suggest, the new stories about nature are imbricated in a kind of constructive resistance, which oppose the idea of resistance as “against” or “in opposition”. By this, we will highlight the limitations of the current research landscape, which often focuses narrowly on either organized social movements or everyday forms of hidden dissent, leading to a fragmented understanding of resistance dynamics. Our goal is to stimulate fruitful discussion about the complexities of resistance and its implications for social change in our increasingly interconnected world.

Mona Lilja is Professor of Peace and Development Research at the School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Lilja’s work focuses on resistance as a theoretical concept, the relation of power and resistance and resistance and gender.

Mikael Baaz is a full Professor of International Law as well as an Associate Professor (docent) in Political Science and an Associate Professor (docent) in Peace and Conflict studies at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Baaz’ work focuses on Resistance Theory, International Criminal and Procedural Law and International Public Law.