Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change
While those ‘trapped’ or who choose to stay in areas affected by climate change represent a substantial policy issue, there only a small amount of empirical work specifically targeting such populations. The scant attention that is afforded to immobility often emphasizes financial...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-07-01
|
| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/8/228 |
| _version_ | 1818296472099094528 |
|---|---|
| author | Caroline Zickgraf |
| author_facet | Caroline Zickgraf |
| author_sort | Caroline Zickgraf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While those ‘trapped’ or who choose to stay in areas affected by climate change represent a substantial policy issue, there only a small amount of empirical work specifically targeting such populations. The scant attention that is afforded to immobility often emphasizes financial constraints as factors driving (involuntary) immobility. As an essential part of the mobility spectrum, the complexity of immobility in crisis, including its political dimensions, warrants thorough investigation. In response to these gaps, this contribution locates environmental immobility within mobilities studies, its conceptual complexities, and, finally, illustrates the importance of political factors in shaping (im)mobilities. The findings are based on semi-structured interviews conducted in two developing countries experiencing the impacts of climate change. We delve into the socio-cultural and economic nature of (im)mobilities as they interact with political forces, specifically by exploring international bilateral agreements (Senegal) and a relocation program (Vietnam). In political spaces that are dominated by a desire to limit human mobility and (re)produce stasis, we challenge traditional dichotomies between mobile/immobile and sedentary/migration polices by underlining how policy interventions can simultaneously promote mobility and immobility, demonstrating complex co-existing mobilities. Keeping people in place can, in fact, mean allowing the very same people to move. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:04:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9966fefc63cb4d64ad84af73495190d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:04:05Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-9966fefc63cb4d64ad84af73495190d32022-12-22T00:00:19ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602019-07-018822810.3390/socsci8080228socsci8080228Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate ChangeCaroline Zickgraf0Department of Geography, Faculty of Sciences, The Hugo Observatory: Environment, Migration, Politics, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumWhile those ‘trapped’ or who choose to stay in areas affected by climate change represent a substantial policy issue, there only a small amount of empirical work specifically targeting such populations. The scant attention that is afforded to immobility often emphasizes financial constraints as factors driving (involuntary) immobility. As an essential part of the mobility spectrum, the complexity of immobility in crisis, including its political dimensions, warrants thorough investigation. In response to these gaps, this contribution locates environmental immobility within mobilities studies, its conceptual complexities, and, finally, illustrates the importance of political factors in shaping (im)mobilities. The findings are based on semi-structured interviews conducted in two developing countries experiencing the impacts of climate change. We delve into the socio-cultural and economic nature of (im)mobilities as they interact with political forces, specifically by exploring international bilateral agreements (Senegal) and a relocation program (Vietnam). In political spaces that are dominated by a desire to limit human mobility and (re)produce stasis, we challenge traditional dichotomies between mobile/immobile and sedentary/migration polices by underlining how policy interventions can simultaneously promote mobility and immobility, demonstrating complex co-existing mobilities. Keeping people in place can, in fact, mean allowing the very same people to move.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/8/228immobilityclimate changeenvironmental migration and mobilitytrapped populationsmigration governanceSenegalVietnamplanned relocation |
| spellingShingle | Caroline Zickgraf Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change Social Sciences immobility climate change environmental migration and mobility trapped populations migration governance Senegal Vietnam planned relocation |
| title | Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change |
| title_full | Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change |
| title_fullStr | Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change |
| title_short | Keeping People in Place: Political Factors of (Im)mobility and Climate Change |
| title_sort | keeping people in place political factors of im mobility and climate change |
| topic | immobility climate change environmental migration and mobility trapped populations migration governance Senegal Vietnam planned relocation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/8/228 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolinezickgraf keepingpeopleinplacepoliticalfactorsofimmobilityandclimatechange |