https://culanth.org/fieldsights/restoration-and-reparations
I have a new short essay out in a collection on the topic of “coastal futures” for the Society of Anthropology’s Theorizing the Contemporary series. Many thanks to the editors–Sheehan Moore, Theodore Hilton and Amelia Moore—for including me in this great selection of essays on the ways anthropologists are engaging with critical discussions on environmental change, social justice, and changing coastlines around the world.
My essay, “restoration and reparations,” thinks about the potential intersections of critical restoration geographies with scholarly discussions on reparations for Afro-descendant communities in the US. I explore possible routes for bringing critical race studies of restoration, such as my work in coastal Louisiana, towards conversations in geography and anthropology on the politics of Black restoration and repair. Much of my thinking on this topic builds on the work of Jovan Scott Lewis, Deborah Thomas, and Tiana Bruno. If you like this essay, you should read more of their work!
Other essays in the “coastal futures” collection are great for teaching across the fields of political ecology, environmental studies, environmental justice and, of course, environmental anthropology. While you’re there, check out other essay series on the Theorizing the Contemporary site!
Monica Patrice Barra 