Graduation Year
2015
Date of Submission
4-2015
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)
Reader 1
Tamara Venit-Shelton
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2015 Ratik Asokan
Abstract
Though mainstream environmentalism, both in the U.S. and India, was initially rooted in social justice, it has, over time, moved away from this focus. The Environmental Justice Movement consequently arose to reunite social and environmental activism. In this thesis, I trace the historical relationship between the mainstream environmentalism, the Environmental Justice Movement, and marginalized communities. After providing this general overview, I examine two case studies – in Los Angeles and New Delhi respectively – where marginalized communities have been involved in Environmental Justice activities. My analysis reveals that marginalized communities often act in an ‘environmentalist’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ manner, without defining their actions as such. That is, their socio-political activism often is or becomes environmental because of the contexts it operates within.
Recommended Citation
Asokan, Ratik, "The Political Economy of Environmental Justice: A Comparative Study of New Delhi and Los Angeles" (2015). CMC Senior Theses. 1190.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1190
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Economic History Commons, Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Income Distribution Commons, Political Economy Commons, Political History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, United States History Commons
