Latinx Enviromentalism and Enviromental Humanities

 "Latinx Enviromentalisms: Place, Justice, and the Decolonial" by Sarah D. Wald provides a deep insight into how much the Latinx community has contributed to Environmentalism and how their contribution has been consistently glossed over throughout history due to environmental racism. Sarah D. Wald as well as several other relevant authors provide a different perspective on Latinx environmentalism and gives a voice to the community that has done so much for the environment but have not received the credit for it. 

Exploring Latinx Environmentalism

Wald discusses the sub fields within the environmental humanities. These sub fields include ecocriticism, environmental history and environmental anthropology which have grappled with the legacies of exclusion racialization. Waves of ecocriticism have resulted in the concept of race being taken much more seriously. This has resulted in a greater emphasis on ethnic studies, postcolonial studies, environmental justice, and critical race theory. All of these concepts have been used to "interrogate environmentalism's 'possessive investment in whiteness" (Wald). These study and emphasis put on these subjects also has allowed us to see what other cultures have contributed and care about Environmentalism. This is due to the fact that when Environmentalism is discussed it is mostly seen as a problem that white, European or Western people address. These waves bring more voices to the table and show how many communities articulate traditional environmentalist values. 

Introducing Greenpeace Unidos: A place for Latinx Environmentalists

The word 'environment' itself includes the separation between humans and nature even though ironically 'environmentalism struggles to reunite humans with our natural environment'. Therefore, this article brings up the question: 'Does the word environment remain relevant when different communities "may understand nature in a different way as to merit a different term?"' This perspective can change what society sees as 'environmental'. Latinx cultures have been supporting their environment in 'non traditional' ways due to the structure of their country and land being different. In several instances, non western or non dominant works focus on their environmental ideas as well as inclusion of social justice, identity, and cultural tradition which is why the environmental portion may get overlooked. 

 

6 Latina activists leading the way on climate change and the environment

Three other factors have contributed to the factors of Latinx Environmentalism. These factors include environmental justice, critical race theory, and the third approach recovery model. Environmental justice is not the only tool resulting from critical race theory and environmental thought. However this took has resulted in several benefits such as creating a bridge for discussion on the topics of social justice and the environment and also challenging the race and class privilege within the environmental movement. In regards to critical race theory, the engagement that come from this topic has resulted in more possibilities for a range of new forms of theorizing different methods of cultural production. The third approach recovery model shifts the question from ‘How do we get more diversity in environmental humanities?’ to ‘How can environmental humanists recognize the way that diverse groups have always been environmental?’ (Wald).  Through the recovery model, this aims to correct the assumption that Latinxs do not care about the environment and to serve as a check to environmental moralizing. Understanding the different environmental humanities that have become prevalent in today's society can help us understand how much the Latinx culture has truly contributed to when it comes to the environment.