GEOG 352 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Chris Abani, Political Ecology, Municipal Solid Waste
Document Summary
Urban political ecology as an alternative approach to issues of poverty, inequality and justice. Too narrow at present -- starts from a marxist perspective -- critique of capitalism. Southern theory and african urbanism -- situated understandings. City as a socio-natural artifact -- separation of nature and society (urban political ecology will bring these together) Political ecology together with urban research from the south and extended. Houses in nairobi: need to build wood walkways to cross over the garbage. Residents of the areas where garbage collects are the poor. Graceland by chris abani: lagos as a place where (cid:498)the smell of garbage from refuse dumps, unflushed toilets and stale bodies was still overwhelming(cid:499) Many urbanists and novelists enliven their writings by filling our nostrils with the stenches of garbage-strewn african cities. Should not generalize (about urban contexts in africa) Rwanda: plastic bag bans since 2004 vs. nairobi where there is no plastic ban -- plastic bag fields and trees.
