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Isabelle Soifer: Knowledge Economy and Settler Colonialism in the Anthropocene

isoifer

Based on what I have found thus far regarding narratives surrounding the socioeconomic state of New Orleans, there are two predominant ones I have come across: New Orleans as the “laggard,” the city of play but not work, of poor educational quality, and the other of New Orleans as a "comeback" city shaping to a knowledge-based economy following Hurricane Katrina. The former reminds me of racist stereotypes typically used to describe groups of people deemed not to fit within the white supremacist narrative of progress. The other, post-Hurricane Katrina narrative, is portrayed in the media as a phoenix rising from the ashes, one of the “most rapid and dramatic economic turnarounds in recent American history.” I felt an almost visceral reaction to the assertion of one article that “It would be wrong to say the hurricane destroyed New Orleans public schools, because there was so little worth saving even before the storm hit.” I cannot help but be reminded of “terra nullius,” the “empty land” narrative implemented by colonial powers to seize and control land, dismissing the people residing on the land as insignificant to their broader aim of economic and political dominance. In place of public schools, charter schools are perceived as an improvement—but what of the people who were displaced due to the storm and long to return, yet cannot afford to send their children to a charter school and would be forced to bus their kids across the city? Many people end up not returning to New Orleans as a result. I find it interesting to compare these pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina narratives of New Orleans with the information I find from sources such as this one: a shrinking African American population, fewer young people, less affordable housing, increased segregation, etcetera. What do these demographic changes in the city imply for the “ecosystem” deemed ideal for Innovation hubs? As this article asserts, “New Orleans is making a big name for itself among innovative industries and entrepreneurs and the city’s unique vibe plays a big role in that.” On the other hand, City Councilmember Kristen Palmer asserts that “People have been consistently pushed out…If we lose our people and our culture, we lose our city.” What implication does this “burst” in innovation in New Orleans have for both the Anthropocenics of the city as well as its culture, a culture that is stereotyped as one long “party” with intermittent “emptiness,” as opposed to the realities of the people who have resided in the city for generations, or even the people who moved away after the Hurricane and long to return but to no avail? I am curious to see how education, job training (or lack thereof), and issues of housing feed into the anthropocenics of the city. How do grassroots, social justice and environmentalist activists and organizations (such as this one) perceive the changes in the city following the Hurricane compared to innovation hub technicians and CEOs? How do the social and environmental outcomes of Hurricane Katrina fit within the history of "natural" disasters and climate change in New Orleans? I think it is important to keep articles such as this one central to our focus as we move forward with this project.

Isabelle Soifer: The Anthropocenics of the Knowledge Economy

isoifer

I’m interested in how universities, cities, and corporations develop the physical embodiment of the knowledge economy in U.S. city centers in an attempt to foster global connections, and the effect this tends to have on historically black and brown communities. What I find interesting about New Orleans is the manner in which following Hurricane Katrina (which some allege was a human-made disaster), gentrification of the city was spurred on, particularly as predominantly young, white people seeking to work in tech start-ups and corporations moved in to what is deemed yet another potential site for “Innovation.” This made room for corporations and richer residents to move in at the expense of working-class neighborhoods . As council member James Gray argued, “The area desperately needs activity and development…if the city of New Orleans is going to recover, if the Lower Ninth is going to recover- we need development. We cannot turn it away.” I came across an advertisement for an event hosted by INNO that will be held in New Orleans for a “global innovation conference” whereby innovators can “forge the connections that matter.” While I am in the preliminary stages of my research in Houston regarding the Innovation District being built in Midtown Houston, I see astonishing parallels with New Orleans and similar questions arise. Many of the employees at tech companies I have interviewed thus far speak of the notion of the “ecosystem”: the confluence of higher educational institutions, cities, corporations, and start-ups that provides the ideal environment for businesses to thrive and innovation to flourish. However, who is included in this ecosystem and who is left out? What implications (if any) does the use of such environmental terms (ecosystem) to describe innovation economies have for the anthropocene? What does innovation mean and who does it benefit? How do these innovation districts and corridors potentially exacerbate racial inequity in the city, even as they claim to be working for the benefit of all? How do infrastructural neglect and gentrification contribute to health, educational, economic, and environmental disparities, and will innovation in any way seek to address these issues, or merely perpetuate the status quo?

I'm also interested in the narratives that arise surrounding natural disasters, particularly the linear fashion in which events are described. There is a beginning, middle, and end supposedly: but what about before and after, and what about the reoccurence of these disasters? In what ways do these narratives leave out the stories of people who did not get to see the "silver lining" of a disaster? Who did not get to witness the rebuilding of the city? Many of those people moved to Houston and went through another hurricane, Hurricane Harvey. It would be interesting to trace the connections between these two cities. 

Finally, in relation to the topic of slavery, I am interested in the surge of conversations surrounding reparations, particularly in New Orleans and Houston in light of the uneven effects of hurricanes on certain populations. I am intrigued both by memorialization of slavery as well as attempts by elected officials such as Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston and celebrities such as Danny Glover to conduct research (bill H.R. 40) on how to compensate for the U.S.'s history and presence of slavery and racism.

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tamar.rogoszinski

Chief Bruce Shisheesh - chief of the Aboriginal people mentioned. Announced that the community was in a state of emergency.

House of Commons 

Dr. Caroline Tait - Psychiatry professor in the COllege of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She helped start the First Peoples-First Person Indigenous Hub, a research initiative meant to examine mental health issues among Aboriginal People. She received her PhD from Departments of Anthropology and Social Studies of Medicine at McGill University. 

Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna - declared suicide a crisis in the territory in order to avoid the temporary concern that a public health emergency would grant.

Manitoba Assembly Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak - pointed out the importance of preservation of culture on the mental wellness of these people.

Inuit people - have the highest suicide rate in the world

Bob Merasty - Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nation Vice Chief. 

Georgina Jolibois - member of parliament for the region. Stood in the House of Commons and voiced concerns about mental health issues in the area and lack of resources or attention.

National Aboriginal Health Organization - non-profit organization meant to help the community. 

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tamar.rogoszinski
In response to

The triages are shown in a flow-chart type of visualization. The rest are on a selection basis. For example, for management algorithms, we are first given the option of: Incident Orientation, Contamination: Diagnose/Manage, Exposure: Diagnose/Manage Acute Radiation Syndrome, and Exposure & Contamination. Clicking one leads you to further flow charts describing the actions that should be taken place. Within those exists more information in order to help healthcare providers make correct, educated decisions on treatment. 

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tamar.rogoszinski

They calculated the observed/expected (O/E) ratio of thyroid cancer prevalence for residents in Fukushima Prefecture that were below the age of 20. Observed prevalence was calculated by the number of thyroid cancer cases detected by the end of April 2015. The number of detected cases was corrected for screening rate by multiplying the inverse of the age-specific screening rate. The expected prevalence was obtained from another report, which was calulated using a life-table method using national estimates from 2001-10. Age-specific prevalence of thyroid cancer was estimated using the cumulative risk from 2010. The annual percent change of increasing cases of thyroid cancer was taken into account as well. 

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tamar.rogoszinski

The author's name is Miriam Ticktin. She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director of Zolberg Institute for Migration and Mobility. Her PhD from Anthropology is from Stanford. Miriam works at the intersections of the anthropology of medicine and science, law, and transnational and postcolonial feminist theory. She has published many papers and a few books, some of which discuss borders as new forms of political inclusion and exclusion.

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tamar.rogoszinski

Emergency response is discussed more in terms of prevention. While the PIH model was used as a response to the high prevalence of disease in the area, it can be used to show how emergency response may require reaction using a model or system that can be long-term. Prevention is explored using the concept of structural violence and how inherrent structures within our society are causing spread of disease. The paper offers the idea that identifying issues within a society could help response to further emergencies. 

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tamar.rogoszinski

According to Google Scholar, this report has been cited over 130 times. It has been used in various other articles regarding gender identity and discrimination. Many articles are also discussing counseling and support that this community requires. Some news reports have used this as a citing of statistical data. 

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tamar.rogoszinski

This article discusses public health and biosecurity. The authors discuss the need for preparedness and risks that start outbreaks. The article is broken into four domains: emerging infection disease, bioterrorism, cutting-edge life-sciences, and food safety in order to highlight their arguments. Through public health initiatives, it is important to identify security risks and prevent them from negatively impacting the world.