CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2007
| Author | Filcak, Richard |
|---|---|
| Title | ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC: THE CASE OF THE ROMA ETHNIC MINORITY |
| Summary | This dissertation is about the distribution of environmental benefits (e.g., access to natural resources) and harm (i.e., exposure to environmental threats) focusing on the Roma, an ethnic minority group in eastern Slovakia. The concept of environmental justice was used to shed light on the data gathered in this study. People are not equal in the distribution of environmental benefits and exposure to adverse environmental impacts. Social factors, like class and ethnic affiliation, play an important role. The dissertation is based on field research in 35 Roma settlements (five settlements in two in-depth case studies and 30 other places using Rapid Rural Appraisal). The aim of the field research was twofold. The first consideration was to assess the distribution of environmental benefits and harm and the subsequent impacts on village populations. Four main patterns of environmental injustice were identified: exposure to hazardous waste and chemicals, vulnerability to floods, limitations on access to potable water, and waste management practice). The second consideration was to determine and analyze the social processes that contribute to the unequal distribution of environmental benefits and harm. Competition and conflict in access to (and management of) natural resources between two groups of unequal social and political status (the ethnic group of Roma and their non-Roma neighbors) were then set forth as an explanatory framework. The main impact of the inequalities is the conceptualization of Roma village sections as “beyond the pale” spaces where environmentally controversial practices are (or may be) gradually concentrated. The dissertation concludes with policy recommendations on how to address the unequal distribution of environmental benefits and harm through strengthening the social and economic situation of Roma (but also non-Roma) in the village. The environment as a source of income, employment and social interaction is analyzed and discussed as a key factor in this respect. |
| Supervisor | Antypas, Alexios |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2007/ephfir01.pdf |
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