At the intersections of multiple marginalisations: displacements and environmental justice in Mexico and Ethiopia

Abstract

This article examines the politics of institutional governance of displacements and the intersecting experiences of environmental justice, drawing on case studies of flood disasters and urban displacements in Villahermosa, Mexico, and government-sponsored displacements and resettlements in rural Oromia, Ethiopia. We argue that a fuller understanding of how institutional governance produces multiple marginalisations requires political-ecological and intersectional analyses of residents' experiences of injustices that encompass interlinkages between social position, gender and political power. The analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Mexico and Ethiopia, comprising interviews, participant observation, document analysis and surveys. The study shows similarities and differences in patterns of governance, mechanisms of marginalisation and relations of authority and power concerning differentiated displacements and everyday vulnerabilities in different contexts of the global South. Our analysis enriches theoretical understanding of governance and justice, demonstrating how multiple marginalities are produced, reinforced and contested through political processes imbricated with forms of governance characterised by institutional intrusion and absence.

The role of international organizations in equitable and just planned relocation

“…Thus, recognition, defined as the inclusion of often marginalized groups that are typically left out of decision-making, is a key component in implementing equitable planned relocation (Schlosberg 2012 ; Young 1990 ; Fraser 2014 ). Without recognition, decisions related to planned relocation can be made based primarily on economic profitability and lead to the social and political isolation of low-income or otherwise marginalized groups (Nygren and Wayessa 2018 ; Table 1 ). Importantly, attempts at recognition can stray into tokenism in which involvement is asked for but not acted upon (Ocloo and Matthews 2016 ).…”

Urban Floods, Clientelism, and the Political Ecology of the State in Latin America

“…Second, it is simultaneously absent through its institutional inability and unwillingness to provide adequate water, sanitation, security, and flood-prevention infrastructures in impoverished settlements. These two sides of governance-tight supervision interlinked with institutional intrusion-situate the poor at the intersection of multiple marginalizations, while reinforcing state power (Nygren and Wayessa 2018). This conjuncture of institutional presence and absence leaves the poor on the shadows of informality, while hiding state responsibility for securing a safe living environment for all citizens.…”

Developing deeply intersectional environmental justice scholarship

“…In this way, the articles presented here respond to calls from Schlosberg, Pellow, and others to utilize environmental justice research as a tool for more accurately identifying and challenging contextual intersections of power in order to achieve environmental justice and equity. This includes the state as a powerful actor and perpetrator of environmental injustices, which is explored more in depth in this issue by Nygren and Wayessa (2018).…”