A just TRANSport TRANSformation? A TRANSnational, FEMinist analysis of the social reproduction of the lithium and copper supply chain. TRANS-FEM

TRANS-FEM proposes a novel feminist analytical approach to the study of the transport transformation, a crucial part of the green transition.

It aims at examining labor conditions and struggles of the transnational supply chain of lithium and copper required to power the green energy transition of Electric Vehicles (EVs).

We focus on the green transport transformation because economic reforms for green growth can have large hidden costs, especially against low income, un-skilled, immigrant workers and women of color who do reproductive work and suffer from social and economic marginalization.We employ a mixed-methods approach, exploring the transnational connections of the lithium and copper supply chains from Chile (extraction and export) to Sweden (manufacture of e-batteries).

A systematic literature review and document analysis, 200 people´s surveys and 60 semi-structured in-depth interviews will be carried out.

Participants will contribute to preliminary data analysis through member checking, ensuring the study validity.TRANS-FEM is highly relevant because a feminist analysis of the transport transformation can inform industrial economic policies actually geared towards inclusion and equity.

Strongly situated within current debates, the project offers theoretical novelty by developing a feminist framework for examining the labor relations in the energy transition and employs a sound transnational approach having substantial potential for timely academic impact.