Maria Mies, 1931-2023: Fighting housewifisation and reclaiming our planet

An obituary for Maria Mies, a prominent scholar and activist in the fields of development sociology, feminist and ecofeminist theory and politics, who passed away in 2023 is presented. Firstly, Mies understood capitalism as a global system that reorganizes life and production, with the home as a key site of patriarchal labor exploitation. She coined the term "housewifisation" to describe the process by which women are defined as housewives and their labor is devalued and exploited. Secondly, Mies was committed to denouncing and fighting the commodification and depletion of human and natural resources imposed by capitalism. Her work on ecofeminism highlighted the interconnectedness of patriarchy and ecological destruction. Lastly, Mies was a vocal ally of anti-imperialist movements and critiqued the neocolonial violence imposed by international financial institutions. Her activism against these institutions remains relevant today.