| |
This module will critically explore: theories of spatial justice, the underlying spatial processes involved in social and enviornmental change; mechanisms for achieving and resisting these; and the possibilities of alternative futures. It will introduce students to theories of procedural, distributional, social, spatial, place-based, land, and environmental justice. Students will investigate the underlying spatial processes of injustice leading to current crises in the capitalocene, including colonialism, neoliberalism, racism, patriarchy, homophobia, Islamaphobia, and nature/society dualisms. It examines how spatial justice, and social and environmental change are conceptualised, manifest, fail and are resisted with a focus on power geometries and difference. Contemporary resistances to immigrant, LGBT, women’s, and human rights more generally, as well as environmental rights broadly conceived, will be discussed to consider the possibilities, limits and utopian visions progressive social and environmental change. The relationships between geographical knowledges, practices and material changes of activism will be examined. Spatialities attended to may include, spaces of direct action and protest, online spaces, transnational networks advancing inequality or solidarity, national government spaces, NGO spaces, art, and local actions. Finally, the module will consider policy changes as well as community and voluntary work as situated within diverse spatialities of social, political and environmental difference. Conceptual engagement will be developed through student-led research about current issues, such as the water protests, climate action camps, fair housing movements, occupy movements, women’s separatist spaces, indigenous land justice movements, or environmental projects. Students will be introduced to ethical and responsible forms of research, and learn about the significance of local knowledges, including the voices of those affected by forms of injustice through workshops with public engagement partners.
|
SPATIAL JUSTICE: GEOGRAPHIES OF SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
