Intersectionality’s contribution to decolonization of the social imaginary and to the construction of grassroots Green New Deals as collective projects for socio-ecological transformation

Intersectionality is a multifaceted field of inquiry stemming from Black feminist thought that calls out power structures and dynamics from which the interlinked climate, ecological, economic, and political crises stem. In this paper, I argue that intersectionality can inspire and strengthen the literature and efforts around radical socio-ecological transformations (SETs) towards just, care-full, anti-colonial, and degrowth futures. To do this, I explore the elements of the scholarship and praxis of two SET endeavors: the decolonization of the social imaginary and the construction of grassroots Green New Deals (GNDs). I investigate their concrete proposals for radical transformations towards the desired futures and suggest the ways in which intersectionality - as a critical social theory, an analytical approach, or an organizing strategy - strengthens and advances the efforts around decolonizing the social and cultural imaginary and around building and implementing bottom-up visions for GNDs. The benefits of this interface present how intersectionality enhances these SET endeavors by centering justice, solidarity, care, and coalition and alliance building, by capturing the plurality in praxis and visions toward transformation, by embracing complexity in understanding differentiated impacts and in building desired futures, and by studying the experiences of transformations of diverse groups of people.