Indigenous movements frame environmental injustice primarily as misrecognition, not inequity

Evidence

In another example, the Zapatista movement in Mexico, made up primarily of indigenous peoples of Mayan descent, has from the start combined a critique of the globalizing economy (and Mexico’s adoption of the neoliberal model) with a demand for recognition of indigenous peoples and environmentally sustainable ways of life. The movement’s most popular spokesperson, Marcos, demands a world ‘where we can be respected for the work that we do, the value that we have as human beings’ (quoted in McKinley 2006). It is absolutely crucial to understand that the concept of inequity simply does not capture the understanding of environmental injustice articulated by indigenous movements; recognition of culture, of value, of rights, and of alternative ways of life is central to their discourse of justice. — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice, 305

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sharpens the distribution-vs-recognition distinction by showing a real movement where ‘inequity’ vocabulary fails to capture the justice claim — a load-bearing illustration of the typology the reader is mining for.
• XREF: connects to: Indigenous and Chicana women frame toxic contamination as systematic genocide — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice:…, 233; Indigenous communities frame environmental harms as threats to cultural survival, not ecology — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice:…, 233; Environmental degradation of sacred land constitutes a recognition injustice — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice:…, 236 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Misrecognition of identities drives environmental justice groups to demand recognition. #corroborates (0.90) — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice, 226
• Collective identity and dignified recognition define social movements like environmental justice #corroborates (0.85) — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice, 229