Geoviolence: Climate Injustice, Labour Migration, and Intimacy

Abstract

In the context of anthropogenic climate change, it has become increasingly imperative to examine the socio-ecological consequences of human-made environmental degradation as a form of violence. I advance the term “geoviolence” to refer to human actions that increase suffering through the generation, exacerbation, or instrumentalisation of adverse geophysical conditions. Focusing on labour migration dynamics, this article illustrates how geoviolence is exercised by human actors, particularly states. Based on multisited ethnographic research in Morocco and Spain with agricultural workers and their families, I analyse connections between anthropogenic climate change, migration regimes, and intimacy. I argue that the effects of water scarcity, coupled with restrictive migration policies, exacerbate the familial hardships of Moroccan agricultural labourers, thus engendering experiences of geoviolence.