Ecological justice and subalternities: resistances in the context of disaster capitalism

Abstract

Activist and journalist Naomi Klein popularized the term disaster capitalism in her book Shock Doctrine. The concept is used to describe how crises and disasters are used by governments and corporations to implement neoliberal policies that, under normal conditions, would face strong public resistance. The main objective of this article is to investigate how this concept can be applied to the scenario of climate disasters in Brazil, especially in the case of the North Dam, located in the municipality of José Boiteux, on the occasion of the floods that hit the state of Santa Catarina in 2023. As a secondary objective, the research seeks to demonstrate how subaltern groups resist disaster capitalism, by analyzing the case of the North Dam and its implications for the indigenous peoples of the region. Firstly, the historicity of the Xokleng people in the region will be addressed. This will be followed by the idea of disaster capitalism and its interface with climate disasters in Brazil, especially the case of the North Dam. The final section analyzes the theory of ecological justice as an instrument of resistance for subaltern groups in the face of disaster capitalism. The conclusion is that strengthening mechanisms for participation in decision-making can act as instruments of resistance against the imposition of economic measures that favor the elites.  These measures, often adopted in a disaster context, tend to be implemented when the majority of the population is in a state of shock, unable to offer resistance.