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White inside: a critical examination of how structural whiteness in the Dutch climate movement obstructs climate justice

Schim van der Loeff, Agnes LU (2022) HEKM51 20221
Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
Despite attention for lack of racial diversity in climate movements in the Global North, there is little examination of other manifestations of whiteness. This thesis examines how structural whiteness – as a norm and as a power structure – shapes the Dutch climate movement’s relation to climate justice and how these impacts can be countered. Understanding racial justice as central to climate justice, I apply the lens of Critical Whiteness Studies to the Dutch climate movement. I combine expert interviews with activists engaged in intersectional climate justice activism and focus groups with white climate activists in XRNL and an NGO. The results show that whiteness significantly shapes the mainstream climate movement in the Netherlands in... (More)
Despite attention for lack of racial diversity in climate movements in the Global North, there is little examination of other manifestations of whiteness. This thesis examines how structural whiteness – as a norm and as a power structure – shapes the Dutch climate movement’s relation to climate justice and how these impacts can be countered. Understanding racial justice as central to climate justice, I apply the lens of Critical Whiteness Studies to the Dutch climate movement. I combine expert interviews with activists engaged in intersectional climate justice activism and focus groups with white climate activists in XRNL and an NGO. The results show that whiteness significantly shapes the mainstream climate movement in the Netherlands in a way that obstructs climate justice. It leads to reductive uses of climate justice, narrow narratives on the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change, and silencing or tokenising BIPOC. Solidarity is an important way to enact climate justice and dismantle white supremacy but can still be inhibited by whiteness. Tackling whiteness requires genuine solidarity activism, following BIPOC leadership, and education on colonialism and white supremacy. It is important that white people take responsibility for their education and countering whiteness. Moreover, self-examination is needed on how they personally reinforce white supremacy to counter white exceptionalism and performative activism. (Less)
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author
Schim van der Loeff, Agnes LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
whiteness, climate justice, climate movement, solidarity, the Netherlands
language
English
id
9097259
date added to LUP
2022-09-30 09:46:44
date last changed
2022-09-30 09:46:44
@misc{9097259,
  abstract     = {{Despite attention for lack of racial diversity in climate movements in the Global North, there is little examination of other manifestations of whiteness. This thesis examines how structural whiteness – as a norm and as a power structure – shapes the Dutch climate movement’s relation to climate justice and how these impacts can be countered. Understanding racial justice as central to climate justice, I apply the lens of Critical Whiteness Studies to the Dutch climate movement. I combine expert interviews with activists engaged in intersectional climate justice activism and focus groups with white climate activists in XRNL and an NGO. The results show that whiteness significantly shapes the mainstream climate movement in the Netherlands in a way that obstructs climate justice. It leads to reductive uses of climate justice, narrow narratives on the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change, and silencing or tokenising BIPOC. Solidarity is an important way to enact climate justice and dismantle white supremacy but can still be inhibited by whiteness. Tackling whiteness requires genuine solidarity activism, following BIPOC leadership, and education on colonialism and white supremacy. It is important that white people take responsibility for their education and countering whiteness. Moreover, self-examination is needed on how they personally reinforce white supremacy to counter white exceptionalism and performative activism.}},
  author       = {{Schim van der Loeff, Agnes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{White inside: a critical examination of how structural whiteness in the Dutch climate movement obstructs climate justice}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}