Environmental Anthropology: Neoliberalism, Disaster, and Environmental Justice

Timeline: There are currently only two weeks of classes remaining in the semester.
Next Week: The curriculum will transition to the study of health, illness, and the body.
The Nexus of Success and Emotion: In certain labor contexts (such as where children or others are securing meals), individuals become successful when they perform work that draws on others' emotions.

Governmental De-escalation: When governments fail to take responsibility for the welfare of the people, individuals are forced to appeal to private feelings and emotions to secure resources.
Economic Systems: This dynamic is inseparable from the larger systems of capitalism and neoliberalism. In these systems, the market is the primary mechanism for resource distribution.
Environmental Degradation: The systemic impact of these economic models includes: * Toxicity of air and water. * Extinction of various species. * Changing weather patterns, including extreme heat, cold, and storms. * Unpredictable weather posing a significant threat to human activity and survival.
Globalization: These environmental crises are interpreted as intrinsic to globalization and global capitalism.

Human-Made Fault Lines: Anthropologists understand environmental change and climate warming as products of profit-driven exploitation of Earth's resources.
Survival vs. Adaptation: Humans are no longer simply trying to adapt to the natural world; they are trying to survive environmental degradation and social structures that humans themselves have set in motion. This framing is attributed to Guest.
Extenalizing Costs: Governments often externalize the substantial costs of development onto marginalized communities. This practice has deep roots in: * Colonialism * Imperialism * Extractivism
Case Reference: A specific example exists of an anthropologist visiting a site where a population was forcibly moved to prevent interference with industrial operations. In exile, this population worked to maintain its identity.
Challenging the Nature/Culture Dichotomy: Anthropologists push against the Western philosophical claim that "nature" and "culture" are separate terrains. * They reject the universal dichotomy of human versus nature. * They emphasize the interdependence between humans, plants, animals, and the land. * They critique the goal of conquering the environment for technological advancement and profit.
Multi-species Perspective: This rejection allows for the creation of a multi-species perspective, detailing interactions between all species on the planet to provide an exhaustive "more than human" case study.

Scholar: Vincenne Adams, a medical anthropologist based at UC San Francisco (UCSF).
Core Argument: Recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina were "market-based."
First and Second Order Disasters: * The first order disaster was the storm itself. * The second order disaster was the recovery process. * Admas argues both were human-made, rather than natural disasters, rooted in existing vulnerabilities and neglect.
Structural Neglect: The breach of canals and waterways in New Orleans was attributed to an orientation toward profit rather than maintenance.
The Iraq War Model: The humanitarian response utilized private military security firms and subcontractors that had previously responded to the Iraq War. * Blackwater: One of the prominent private military firms employed. * Culture of Response: Individuals trained for war zones were deployed to handle civilians who had lost homes and loved ones.
Profit in Recovery: Substantial money was made in the subcontracting of recovery. The government provided funds to private companies rather than directly to those in need. Organizations involved included: * Halliburton * Shaw Group * Blackwater * ICF International

Evacuation Statistics: * Approximately $50,000$ people were unable to evacuate. * Reasons for inability to evacuate included poverty, illness, racism, lack of personal vehicles, and lack of family networks.
Death Toll Data: * The official death count was $1,500$ individuals. * $50\%$ of those deaths were individuals aged $74$ or older.
Geography of Marginalization: The most vulnerable populations lived in areas with the worst infrastructure, specifically the Lower 9th Ward, which was most exposed to the breaking levees.
Market Visibility and Housing: * There were a large number of renters in the Lower 9th Ward due to historical banking and housing discrimination. * Renters were not "market visible," meaning they had very little recourse to get money for rebuilding. * Homeowners often lacked proper documentation to prove ownership or had their homes undervalued by assessors. * This led to lower funding for rebuilding and a general sense of abandonment, dispossession, and depression.
The Rebuilding Process and "Affect": Because of the lack of government oversight and the privatization of funds, victims were forced to perform emotional labor (affect) to gain sympathy from bank officials and organizations to access recovery funds.

Human Agency: The speaker emphasizes that people have the power to resist environmental change and make a difference on the ground.
Standing Rock Protest ( $2016$ ): A major social movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline. * Goal: To demand the United States honor the Treaty of $1868$ . * Purpose: To protect the land and water rights of the Sioux people. * Geographic Focus: The pipeline was planned to carry crude oil from North Dakota under land held by indigenous communities.
Future Engagement: The class mentions graduate student Sam Allen's research into environmental justice as an example of ongoing engagement and efforts to create change.