White Environmentalism, Neoliberalism, and Mainstream Fossil Fuel Divestment: Critical Reflections for Campus-Based Divestment and Reinvestment Campaigns

This project grew out of my experience as a campus-based fossil fuel divestment (FFD

The fossil fuel divestment (FFD) movement is a collection of many sites of action: local campaigns, institutions, frontline organizers, corporations, and non-profits, among others. Competing values, practices, and goals of these multiple parts pose challenges for an overarching analysis of “the movement,” as such an analysis risks misrepresenting FFD or privileging certain parts of the movement over others. This project uses Robert Mayes, Carol Richards, and Michael Woods’ discussion of FFD as an “assemblage” to explore relationships and tensions among sites of action within the movement. The foundation of the project uses this analytic tool to discuss relationships between FFD and legacies of white environmentalism, environmental justice, and neoliberalism. The project then applies this foundation to the neoliberal university, discussing the limits, dangers, and promises of student organizing. The project draws together these insights to provide strategic suggestions for campus-based FFD organizers.