Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

This workshop invites participants to explore the question of “Who are Climate Refugees?” It explores the intersections of struggles for climate and social justice, and how the disciplines of History and Ethnic Studies can contribute to our understandings of climate change through a discussion of the Climate Refugee Stories digital humanities project, a multimedia narrative, public education, and archiving project that uplifts the stories of people from around the world who have been displaced by the impacts of climate change, and documents the ways communities are responding to these crises. As there are currently no legal protections for climate refugees in US or international law, the project places an emphasis on “borders,” broadly defined as sites where movement is controlled or restricted. The project is global in scope but focuses on the United States as current US policies of climate change denialism and refugee refusal are exacerbating a global refugee crisis. Even more, the United States is, by far, the leading carbon emitter in world history. The project employs mixed methods of participatory action research, oral history, archiving, and co-curricular development to invite storytellers, students, and audiences to debate and define “climate refugees” for themselves in order to reveal the historical, political, economic, and environmental causes of global inequality and displacement, to recognize community resilience, and to provide tools for allying movements for social and environmental justice.