Environmental justice and rural studies: A critical conversation and invitation to collaboration

摘要: Journal of Rural Studies 47 (2016) 381e386 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jrurstud Environmental justice and rural studies: A critical conversation invitation to collaboration David N. Pellow Program, University California Santa Barbara, United States Loka Ashwood Katherine MacTavish have done an outstanding job editing a collection papers by group scholars who produced groundbreaking work on myriad dimensions environmental scholarship politics. To my knowledge, this special issue the is first its kind, it truly timely. These contributors bring range research methods, epistemologies, disciplines, theoretical perspectives, emphases broad varied set landscapes geographies unlike any project I seen in field EJ studies. MacTavish's introduction volume of- fers deeply insightful conceptual framework through which view links among rurality, democracy, inequality, envi- ronmental justice. Their analysis de Tocqueville's concept tyr- anny majority momentous offers productively unsettling for thinking problem nation- states with respect future politics focused (in)justice rural, urban other settings. In what follows, offer thoughts significance each these as whole. As number authors point out, studies long been present, but generally only background, rarely foregrounded, centered, or taken seriously social, ecological, cultural, eco- nomic, political category that shapes struggles everyday. For example, many early movement bat- tlegrounds U.S. took place communities like Warren County, North Carolina Kettleman City, California. But dominant framing those cases was around racial class in- equalities, while spatial relationships tensions between sufficiently theorized. This features innovative path-breaking seeks center engage all complexity. often describe myself sociologist, do senior scholars. Environ- mental sociology emerged response increasing evidence urbanization industrialization were producing severe ecological consequences globe. E-mail address: pellow@es.ucsb.edu. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.06.018 0743-0167/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. owes much origins has, until recently, struggled gain foot- hold discipline Sociology. Ironically, one fields arguably gave much- needed shot arm heightened visibility recent yearsdEnvironmental Justice Studiesdhas also contributed shifting attention away from spaces toward centers. That would not be concern if paying serious close ways are inextricably linked bound up intricate highly uneven unequal processes. focus has largely absent literature. Interestingly, relative Food studiesdan emergent brings together prac- tices we traditionally associate such agricul- ture, food production, distribution community (Alkon Agyeman, 2011; Anguelovski, 2014). Through work, people color collaborating white allies both settings across country reconnect spaces, traditions, thereby blurring lines be- tween consumer producer. Increas- ingly, taking closer look direction could critically important window pathway bridging (as contributing so well). fair, there notable based areas merit some mention here. Bullard (2000) classic Dumping Dixie chronicles African American Southern U.S., including Emelle, Alabama; Alsen, Louisina; Institute, West Virginia, Timmons Roberts Melissa Toffolon-Weiss's (2001) Chronicles Frontline centers anal- ysis several state Louisiana. Recent water management conflicts Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta region (Sze et al., 2010) pesticide drift agricultural (Harrison, 2011) reveal basic access safe water, soil, air enjoyed America. His- torian Richard Mizelle's (2014) Backwater Blues, re-reading 1927 Mississippi Flood lens. flood killed untold numbers revealed depths