ABSTRACT
W. E. B. Du Bois’s work serves as a fruitful avenue to synthesize intersectionality, political economy, and environmental analysis. We propose that the Du Bois nexus provides the basis to examine distinct historical relationships and conditions that shape race, class, gender, and national relations associated with environmental injustice. Through a brief historical case study, we examine the racialized and gendered international division of labor associated with the Peruvian guano trade in the mid-nineteenth century, highlighting the associated environmental injustice and inequalities experienced by Chinese ‘coolies.’ We conclude by highlighting how Du Bois’s scholarship is useful as a bridge between environmental sociology, intersectionality, and race and ethnic studies.
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Notes on contributors
Brett Clark
Brett Clark is Associate Professor of sociology and sustainability studies at the University of Utah. His research focuses on the political economy of global environmental change and the philosophy, history, and sociology of science.
Daniel Auerbach
Daniel Auerbach is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Utah. His primary research interest is the political economy of global environmental change.
Karen Xuan Zhang
Karen Xuan Zhang is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Utah. Her primary research interest is the political economy of global environmental change.