Slides accompanying my guest talk in the module on Environmental Justice & Inclusion for the team-taught interdisciplinary class Urban Sustainability BIO 7310 at Wayne State University

1. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
AND INCLUSION
BIO 7310, FALL 2019
RAHUL MITRA, DEPT. OF COMMUNICATION
EMAIL: RAHUL.MITRA@WAYNE.EDU
TWITTER @RAHULMITRA

2. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
• WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM?
• UNEQUAL SOCIOECONOMIC, HEALTH, PUBLIC, AND
POLITICAL IMPACTS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL FALLOUT,
POLICIES, OR FACTORS
• DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING LOW-INCOME
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
• ECONOMIC, SOCIOPOLITICAL AND RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION EXPLANATIONS
• WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?
• THE FAIR TREATMENT AND MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT OF
ALL PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL
ORIGIN, OR INCOME WITH RESPECT TO THE DEVELOPMENT,
IMPLEMENTATION, AND ENFORCEMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES. (P.
407)

3. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR RESEARCHERS?
• RECOGNIZING THAT “THE ENVIRONMENT” IS EVERYWHERE
• IMPACT RECOGNITION THROUGH BOTH PROXIMITY AND RISK ANALYSIS STUDIES
• RECKONING WITH RACIST/CLASSIST PAST (AND PRESENT) OF NOT JUST SOCIAL PLANNING, BUT
ALSO THE ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVEMENT
• GRAPPLING WITH THE POLITICAL REALITIES OF ENVIRONMENTALISM, CLIMATE CHANGE,
POLLUTION, ETC. GIVEN THE “NEUTRAL” UNDERPINNINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND CLAIMS
TO BE DEVOID OF “ADVOCACY”
• WHEN IS COMMUNITY RESISTANCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE SUCCESSFUL?
• ISSUE RESONANCE, GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY, LEGAL REPRESENTATION, GLOCAL NETWORKS,
INSTITUTIONAL POWERS OPPOSED…

4. ENVIRONMENTAL PRIVILEGE
• WHAT DOES “PRIVILEGE” MEAN?
• PRIVILEGE OPERATES THROUGH THE MUNDANE-NESS OF EVERYDAY LIFE – NOT HAVING TO WORRY OR CARE
ABOUT ISSUES THAT ARE EXISTENTIAL FOR THOSE OF A DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUP (RACE, CLASS, GENDER,
INCOME, NEIGHBORHOOD, ETC.)
• HOW IS ENVIRONMENTAL PRIVILEGE SHAPED AND REINFORCED THROUGH EVERYDAY PRACTICES,
INTERACTIONS, CONVERSATIONS, IDEOLOGIES AND INSTITUTIONS?
• OCCURS THROUGH THE WAY WE MAKE SENSE OF NOT JUST PEOPLE, BUT ALSO THE ENVIRONMENT – WHETHER
WE THINK OF IT AS HABITAT, RELATIONAL, LIFE-GIVING, PASSIVE, EMPTY, OR RESOURCE-BASED, FOR INSTANCE.
• TENSIONAL PROCESS, CHARACTERIZED BY “BOTH-AND” DILEMMAS RATHER THAN “EITHER-OR” CHOICES

5. A CASE STUDY:
WATER PRIVILEGE IN
METRO DETROITLife-Giving/
Dangerous
Right/
Entitlement
Commodity/
Valuable
Personal
Responsibility
Governance
as
Problematic
Solution
General Civic
Solutions
Community
Bubbles

6. INCLUSION FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
• WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INCLUSION”? HOW IS IT
DIFFERENT FROM “DIVERSITY”? HOW MUCH
FURTHER DOES “EQUITY” GO?
• SHIFT FROM DEFICIT TO ASSET-BASED
CONCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND
PARTNERS (LAMBRINIDOU, 2018)
• DESIGN, DECISION-MAKING, IMPLEMENTATION,
ENGAGEMENT, COLLABORATION, DEPUTIZING
OURSELVES AS RESEARCHERS
• COMMUNITY BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
VERSUS CITIZEN SCIENCE

7. AN EXAMPLE: DETROIT WATER STORIES, AN OPEN
ACCESS TRANS-MEDIA ORAL HISTORY PROJECT