CLIMATE SUBJECTIVITY: YOUTH, INNOCENCE AND WILLFULNESS IN THE SWEDISH CLIMATE MOVEMENT

Abstract

This article explores the changing notions of political subjectivity in the climate movement in the Global North. Previously, activists have embraced climate justice ideals, assigning responsibility to the Global North and emphasizing solidarity with the Global South. However, a new parallel subject position is gaining prominence within the movement: "the child." Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the article analyzes interpretations of the child within the movement, examining the association of this subject position with innocence and the right to protection. Youth activists, addressed as children, grapple with this identity, navigating between embracing and feeling constrained by it. This child identity leads to an alternative subjectivity that resonates with the notion of "the willful child." This article reflects on the potential and limitations of these child subjectivities, shedding light on the dynamics of political subject formation in the face of the climate crisis and in social movements in general. It highlights how adopting the child identity can empower and restrict youth activists in their efforts to advocate for climate action.