Keywords
gender
women of the sea
nature
marine–coastal space
Abstract
This article analyzes the situated experiences of women of the sea in marine–coastal spaces, focusing on how gender, body–territories, and nature are articulated in contexts of environmental crisis. Drawing on gender perspectives and political ecology, the study problematizes the historical invisibilization of women within coastal economies and sustainability debates. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach through a case study conducted in the cove of Llico, Biobío Region, which includes in-depth interviews, participant observation, and the use of photo-elicitation techniques. The findings show that women’s everyday practices, embodied knowledge, and affective relationships with the marine–coastal environment constitute a central dimension in the reproduction of coastal life and in the configuration of alternative ecological relations. Furthermore, these experiences make it possible to understand nature not only as an ecological domain, but as a lived and relational practice, produced through the interplay of reproductive labor, local knowledge, and territorial care. The article contributes to territorial studies and feminist political ecology by making visible the structural role of women connected to the sea in environmental sustainability and by questioning the gendered and epistemic hierarchies present in marine–coastal spaces.
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