Unearthing the decolonial environmental worldview (DEW): The case of Jamaica

Abstract

Environmentalism has been defined in multiple ways across the literature from a global perspective, both as an ideology and as a movement. However, the definitions of environmentalism have been either vaguely defined or broad with the most common characterization being that of conservation and preservation being at the heart of environmentalism. While there is considerable research on environmentalism in the industrialized world context, there is still limited research in developing regions, with a dearth of research in the Caribbean, hence the rationale for this research. The physical environments of former colonial states have always been subjected to exploitation, yet the way in which this resource has been used by local populations have not been characterized. This paper begins to examine the ways in which local populations of former colonized states view environmentalism. Taking a case study approach, Jamaica is used as the beginning point of reference. Using interviews with self-identified environmental activists, results indicate that there is, what is uniquely referred to in this paper, a decolonial environmental worldview (DEW) that exists among environmental activists. This worldview is grounded in a number of principles that are tied to the way in which the decolonization process continues to proceed in the Caribbean region. The paper postulates that this DEW framework has elasticity and should be applied to other postcolonial societies to determine its salience.

Feminist perspectives on environmental justice and health in Jamaica

“…As such, this article positions itself within the context of a global predicament, contributing a vital perspective to the ongoing discourse on environmental justice. This paper seeks to build on the small but growing body of work around environmental justice in the Caribbean produced by thinkers such as Esther Figueroa, Robert Connell, Anne-Teresa Birthwright, April Karen Baptiste, Stacy-ann Robinson, R. Anna Hayward, Debra D. Joseph, and Rachael Baptiste-Garrin ( Hayward and Joseph, 2018 ; Figueroa, 2019 ; Connell, 2020 ; Birthwright, 2022 ; Baptiste and Baptiste-Garrin, 2023 ). The aim of this work is to contextualise the impact of environmental injustice on women’s health in Jamaica offering a Caribbean perspective that considers unique socio-economic and historical factors.…”