Relocating occupation
A critical environmental justice analysis of the US military migration from Okinawa to Guåhan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12978956 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kieren Rudge (0000-0003-1501-1696, University of California, Berkeley, corresponding author), S J Gabriel Jaime Pérez (University of California, Berkeley), Georgia Cutter (University of California, Berkeley), Viv Kammerer (University of California, Berkeley) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 317-332 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Geography (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1942-7786 • E-ISSN: 2633-674X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/19427786241290137 |
| OpenAlex | W4403454010 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
The US military buildup across the Pacific is an ongoing colonial project reproducing oppressive power structures, human rights violations, and systemic environmental injustices. As the United States bolsters its Pacific presence, islands and peoples living on them are particularly vulnerable. However, not all places face overtly growing military-colonial occupations. Following decades of substantial military presence in Okinawa, 2024 marks the beginning of a precarious troop withdrawal from the Japanese prefecture. This significant reduction in Marine Corps personnel is the result of decades of political activism by Okinawans, who have continually resisted occupation and longstanding patterns of violence and oppression. Yet these military forces are not just leaving, they are relocating. The withdrawal coincides with 5,000 Marines and a new base coming to Guåhan (Guam), a territory where about 30% of land is under military control. This article examines these processes of military buildup and relocation through a critical environmental justice lens. We expand upon research on these issues by centering the critical environmental justice pillars concerning intersectionality, multiple scales, state power, and indispensability. We analyze the interconnections between Okinawa and Guåhan and argue that environmental justice scholarship must consider global geopolitics, interconnectivity, and sovereignty to adequately approach environmental movements in the Pacific region. In addition, we demonstrate that environmental justice victories in non-self-governing territories remain vulnerable to reversal and we advocate for inter-island coalition-building to avoid passing environmental harms from one island to another
Economic Justice · Environmental justice · Geography · Political science · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Law
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Toxic Colonialism in the Territorial Isles
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Lessons in Environmental Justice
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Strategic narratives and US military bases in Japan
Living with the fence
Settler Garrison
Okinawa. The History of an Island People
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Decolonial encounter with neo‐nationalism
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Race, Reform, and Retrenchment
The Banality of American Empire
Practicing decolonial political geography
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |