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Development justice, a proposal: Reckoning with disaster, catastrophe, and climate change in the Caribbean
Levi Gahman,
Gabrielle Thongs,
Corresponding Author
Levi Gahman
The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Correspondence
Levi Gahman
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorGabrielle Thongs
The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Search for more papers by this authorLevi Gahman,
Gabrielle Thongs,
Corresponding Author
Levi Gahman
The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Correspondence
Levi Gahman
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorGabrielle Thongs
The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This paper proposes that “development justice” be taken up as an analytical concept and praxis-driven framework for research on disasters, resilience, and climate change. The piece begins with a synopsis of the historical-structural factors exacerbating risk in the Caribbean before reviewing the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and development justice. Next, drawing from empirical data and via a development justice lens, we highlight how the logics, practices, and debts of colonial underdevelopment, racial capitalism, and neoliberal extraction continue to erode resilience across the region. We end by recommending that future adaptation and mitigation strategies related to disasters, catastrophes, and climate change be more attentive to structural and slow violence, as well as the historical trajectories of imperialism, racial capitalism, and hetero patriarchal norms. In sum, the piece constitutes an evidence-based assertion that development justice perspectives alongside theories of non-metaphorical decolonisation be used by scholars, activists, scientists, and states alike who are committed to mediating climate change and preventing/reducing the damage caused by disasters.
Abstract
This paper proposes that “development justice” be taken up as an analytical concept and praxis-driven framework for research on disasters, resilience, and climate change. Drawing from empirical data gathered from across the Caribbean, the manuscript highlights how the logics, practices, and debts of colonial underdevelopment, racial capitalism, and neoliberal extraction continue to erode resilience throughout the region. In sum, the piece constitutes an evidence-based assertion that development justice perspectives alongside theories of non-metaphorical decolonisation be used by scholars, activists, scientists, and states alike who are committed to mediating climate change and preventing/reducing the damage caused by disasters.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Please note that certain data will not be available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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