Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift
This paper presents France’s relation to climate change from the perspectives of the French overseas territories: the Outre-mer. Scattered across the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, these formerly colonized territories are subnational jurisdictions of France. Through examini...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Island Studies Journal
2018-05-01
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Series: | Island Studies Journal |
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author | Malcom Ferdinand |
author_facet | Malcom Ferdinand |
author_sort | Malcom Ferdinand |
collection | DOAJ |
description | This paper presents France’s relation to climate change from the perspectives of the French overseas territories: the Outre-mer. Scattered across the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, these formerly colonized territories are subnational jurisdictions of France. Through examining their greenhouse gas emissions, their ecological importance, their economic conditions, as well as their policies, I argue that understanding the Outre-mer climate change perspectives demands an epistemic shift characterized by two theoretical gestures. Firstly, the Outre-mer perspectives require moving beyond the single geographical imaginary of France that only represents its European mainland. Contributing very little to France’s greenhouse gas emissions, these territories are particularly exposed and particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, making the case for a subnational climate justice. Secondly, beyond their portrayal as foreign and voiceless victims, the Outre- mer perspectives also recognize the presence of postcolonial subjects as political and historical actors facing climate change, calling forcefully for postcolonial equality and social justice. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-22T02:56:44Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-5c18fc6148fc41b99cefdcf8ced7976c |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1715-2593 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-22T02:56:44Z |
publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
publisher | Island Studies Journal |
record_format | Article |
series | Island Studies Journal |
spelling | doaj.art-5c18fc6148fc41b99cefdcf8ced7976c2022-12-21T18:41:15ZengIsland Studies JournalIsland Studies Journal1715-25932018-05-0113111913410.24043/isj.49Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shiftMalcom Ferdinand0KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, the NetherlandsThis paper presents France’s relation to climate change from the perspectives of the French overseas territories: the Outre-mer. Scattered across the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, these formerly colonized territories are subnational jurisdictions of France. Through examining their greenhouse gas emissions, their ecological importance, their economic conditions, as well as their policies, I argue that understanding the Outre-mer climate change perspectives demands an epistemic shift characterized by two theoretical gestures. Firstly, the Outre-mer perspectives require moving beyond the single geographical imaginary of France that only represents its European mainland. Contributing very little to France’s greenhouse gas emissions, these territories are particularly exposed and particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, making the case for a subnational climate justice. Secondly, beyond their portrayal as foreign and voiceless victims, the Outre- mer perspectives also recognize the presence of postcolonial subjects as political and historical actors facing climate change, calling forcefully for postcolonial equality and social justice.climate changeclimate justicefranceoutre-merpostcolonial politicssubnational island jurisdictions (snijs) |
spellingShingle | Malcom Ferdinand Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift Island Studies Journal climate change climate justice france outre-mer postcolonial politics subnational island jurisdictions (snijs) |
title | Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
title_full | Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
title_fullStr | Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
title_full_unstemmed | Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
title_short | Subnational climate justice for the French Outre-mer: postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
title_sort | subnational climate justice for the french outre mer postcolonial politics and geography of an epistemic shift |
topic | climate change climate justice france outre-mer postcolonial politics subnational island jurisdictions (snijs) |
work_keys_str_mv | AT malcomferdinand subnationalclimatejusticeforthefrenchoutremerpostcolonialpoliticsandgeographyofanepistemicshift |