Sovereignty of Land, Water and Seeds: a Philosophy of Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva is one of the leaders of modern alter-globalism, a scientist, ecologist, public figure, head of the Navdanya Foundation, which works to preserve biological and cultural diversity in India. Shiva is the author of more than a dozen works in which she expounds her criticism of globalization, which she considers unfair for India and other Third World countries. Shiva argues that throughout the five centuries that globalization is continuing, the West plundered the natural wealth of the Third World, and now it has taken the form of the scientific, technical and commercial exploitation of land, water and seeds of cultivated plants by transnational corporations and associated political elites of developing countries. According to Shiva’s views, the peoples of the Third World, having achieved political independence, have not yet become truly free. True liberation presupposes not only the liberation of man, but also the whole of nature, of which he continues to be a part. It is necessary to liberate land, water and seeds, which, having ceased to be the property of the people, have become a global economic resource. The philosophical ideas of Shiva are an integral part of modern discussions about democracy and freedom, which are initiated by intellectuals of the countries of the Third World.
1. Shiva V., Sharatchandra H.C., Bandopadhyay J. Social economic and ecological impact of social forestry in Kolar. Bangalore, 1981. 83 p.
2. Bandopadhyay J., Shiva V. Chipko: India’s civilisational response to the forest crisis. New Delhi, 1986. 23 p.
3. Shiva V. Staying alive: women, ecology and survival in India. New Delhi, 1988. 244 p.
4. Shiva V. Globalism, biodiversity and the third world. The future of progress: refl ections on environment and development. Ed. by E. Goldsmith, M. Khor, H. Norberg- Hodge, V. Shiva. Foxhole, Dartington, 1995, pp. 50–67.
5. Shiva V. Biopiracy: the plunder of nature and knowledge. Cambridge, Ma, 1997. 148 p.
6. Shiva V. The violence of green revolution: the third world agriculture, ecology and politics. London, 1991. 266 p.
7. Shiva V. Making peace with the Earth. London, 2013. 288 p.
8. Shiva V. Earth democracy: justice, sustainability, and peace. London, 2005. 192 p.
9. Shiva V. Water wars: privatization, pollution, and profi t. Cambridge, Ma, 2002. 160 p.
10. Shiva V. Resisting water privatisation, building water democracy. paper for the world water forum. 2006. Available at: http://www.globalternative.org/downloads/shiva-water.pdf (accessed 10 Febriary 2018).
11. Shiva V. Stolen harvest: the hijacking of the global food supply. Cambridge, Ma, 2000. 154 p.
12. Shiva V. The Seeds of suicide: how Monsanto destroys farming. Global research. 2013. June 24. Available at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-seeds-of-suicide-howmonsanto-destsroys-... (accessed 26 August 2018).
13. Shiva V. 4-patents: Vandana Shiva on the neem tree and freedom from western biopiracy. The Hindustan Times. 2000. June 9. Available at: http://www.gene.ch/genet/2000/Jun/msg00032.html (accessed 26 August 2018).