Environmentalism and Economic Justice: Two Chicano Struggles in the Southwest

Environmentalism and Economic Justice examines two significant environmental justice cases involving Chicano communities in the American Southwest during the 1960s-1980s. The book focuses on the United Farm Workers' campaign against pesticides in California and the Ganados del Valle's land rights struggle in New Mexico. Pulido analyzes how these Chicano movements connected environmental concerns with broader issues of social justice, labor rights, and cultural preservation. Through extensive research and interviews, she documents the strategies these groups used to resist environmental threats while fighting for their communities' economic survival. The narratives trace how each movement evolved from local grassroots efforts into broader campaigns that challenged existing power structures and environmental policies. The UFW and Ganados cases demonstrate different approaches to combining environmental activism with struggles for basic rights and livelihood protection. This work reveals the complex intersections between environmentalism, civil rights, and economic justice movements in marginalized communities. The book contributes to understanding how environmental activism can emerge from and strengthen cultural identity and community empowerment.

Reviewers note this text documents environmental activism cases from a Chicano perspective that mainstream environmentalism overlooked. Multiple readers highlighted the book's examination of how race, class and culture intersect with environmental concerns. Readers appreciated: - Clear case studies of United Farm Workers' pesticide battle and Ganados del Valle's grazing rights - Analysis of how marginalized groups approach environmental issues differently - Well-researched with extensive interviews and primary sources Common criticisms: - Academic writing style can be dense - Some sections are repetitive - Limited scope with focus on only two cases Ratings: Goodreads: 4.33/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: 5/5 (2 ratings) One academic reviewer called it "a nuanced look at environmental justice before the term existed." A student reviewer noted it was "informative but dry at times." Limited reviews exist online as this is primarily used as an academic text.

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🌿 Laura Pulido's research for this book was inspired by her own experience as a participant in environmental justice movements in Los Angeles during the 1980s. 🏜️ The book examines two distinct Chicano struggles: the United Farm Workers' pesticide campaign and the Ganados del Valle's grazing rights movement in New Mexico, highlighting the intersection of civil rights and environmentalism. 🌱 The author introduces the concept of "subaltern environmentalism," which describes how marginalized communities often engage in environmental activism not as a primary goal, but as part of their broader struggle for social justice and survival. 👥 The Ganados del Valle case study showcases how traditional Hispanic land-use practices in New Mexico were actually more environmentally sustainable than modern agricultural methods promoted by government agencies. 📚 Published in 1996, this work was one of the first academic books to extensively examine environmental justice from the perspective of the Chicano community, helping establish environmental justice as a legitimate field of study.