ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the gendered dynamics of environmental justice by focusing on the role of motherhood in Flint, Michigan’s water crisis. For many women, their roles as housewives, mothers, and caretakers create opportunities to become involved in public deliberations over the environment. More than justification for their activism, motherhood also constituted sources of resistance and empowerment for women. The “mother” identity is taken up by Flint women to craft public judgments on those who threaten their family and community as well as ennoble similar reflections and critiques in others. Thus, this chapter seeks to provide an overview of rhetorical studies research on the gendered agencies capable within environmental justice contexts. In particular, I highlight the contributions of scholars who focus on the intersections among maternity, environmentalism, and social justice. Moving these conversations forward, I discuss new opportunities to examine women’s environmental communication that shift away from leader-centric studies and toward new controversies wherein disparate communities work together for a more just and sustainable world.
