Lecture 4: Race, class, gender and environment
Now we will examine the manifestation of race, class and gender issues in the context of environmental concerns
Race
We will begin by looking at race and environmental justice
Overt acts that have been justified by extraction, violence and segregation
Classical View of Racism
Racism with respect to environmental inequities are not overt as such it is no longer easy indicate intentionality
Environmental inequalities refer to issues of who has rights to environmental benefits and who bears the costs
Environmental inequalities indicate trace evidence of racism
Race and location
There is a relationship between race and location of environmental hazards
Bullard (1993) is one of the earlier articles that articulate a lot of evidence showing the relationship between race and location
The evidence indicates that more minority groups live closer to environmental hazards than non-minority groups
Why are minorities targeted?
Newell (2005) provides us with some clear reasons
- There is less resistance because of:
- The need for either investment, jobs etc
- But this is also grounded in the history of slavery, oppression and submission where these groups have historically occupied “forced” or “willingly” these spaces
Racialized view of environment
According to Taylor (2002) here are the examples of racialized views
- Recreational purposes (White, middle to upper class; blacks in the early parts)
- Working conditions (White, working class; Native American, and Chicano (Mexican-American))
- Livelihood protection (Native American, Chicano)
- Health concerns (Chicano, Blacks)
- Spiritual connections (Native Americans)
Now let's switch gears to look at another variable of marginality
Class
Class
What is the stronger predictor of inequalities - race or class?
How would you respond to the following question?
The evidence from decades of research has shown that race is a stronger predictor of environmental inequities
Race is stronger
Understanding class
Class is the relationship of the degree of ownership or control over means of production
An understanding of class relates to governance structures
Decision making protects those with the most power
Class plays a role in what can and is protected, strategies and agendas of organizations (p. 84)
Defining class
Class Struggles
Struggles deal with domination and resistance from exploited labor
Gender
The third variable of marginality that we will take some time to talk about is that of gender
This is based mainly on Bell’s (2016) article
“...a term used to emphasize that sex inequality is not caused by the anatomic and physiological differences that characterize men and women, but rather by the unequal and inequitable treatment socially accorded to them
(Bell, 2016, p. 1)
Defining gender
- Historical work on women and environmentalism
- Gender continues to be a relatively marginal issue in environmental justice debates and yet it remains an important aspect of injustice
- Women have historically been the leaders and activists in the EJ movement
- Women tend to experience more environmental burdens and less access to environmental goods
- Women have not been involved in environmental decision making
Gender and EJ
What did we cover?
Summary
- Definition of race and the ways in which this concept is shaped in the society
- Definition of class and the ways in which class relates to environmental justice
- Definition of gender and the ways in which women in particular play a central role in environmental justice both as experiencing injustices as well as being a part of the resistance