Book Review: Ecologies of Inequity. How Disaster Response Reconstitutes Race and Class Inequality

Authors

Abel Traslaviña-Arias, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6699-7697

Abstract

In Ecologies of Inequity: How Disaster Response Reconstitutes Race and Class Inequality, Sancha Doxilly Medwinter gathered diverse stories about how various migrant communities had to overcome not only disaster but also the overlapping networks established by those who were supposed to support them in 2012 in New York City. Medwinter portrays this contested post-disaster landscape through a thorough data recording of 120 individuals affiliated with various groups: racialized migrants or locals, tenants or property owners, local or external helpers, and those from wealthy or impoverished backgrounds. Ecologies of Inequity refer to the spatialized networks of organizational and interpersonal relations that emerge following the destruction of preexisting structures and the establishment of makeshift disaster response centers. These networks significantly influenced population mobility, spatial utilization, and local networks, particularly in communities that were already vulnerable due to racial and class factors before the disaster. Medwinter’s analysis offers a valuable framework for understanding the informational and resource disparities across diverse urban spaces, organizations, and social groups.

Recommended Citation

Traslaviña-Arias, Abel (2024) "Book Review: Ecologies of Inequity. How Disaster Response Reconstitutes Race and Class Inequality," Critical Disaster Studies: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.

Available at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/cds/vol2/iss1/3