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Positionality and intersectionality in environmental debates: duoethnography as a method to know (from) the margins.
Jose A Cañada1, Joaquín Valdivielso2
1Centre for the Social Study of Microbes, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Tapuya : Latin American Science, Technology and Society
|June 15, 2026
Summary
Migrant populations face barriers to environmental activism due to class and ethnolinguistic factors. Duoethnography, using intergenerational migrant experiences, offers insights into human-environment attachments and environmental struggles.
Area of Science:
- Environmental sociology
- Human geography
- Migration studies
Background:
- The Balearic Islands, a major tourist destination, have experienced significant environmental impacts since the 1950s.
- Environmental activism is well-established, with movements generating knowledge for protective legislation.
- Migrant populations are notably underrepresented in these environmental movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the class and ethnolinguistic barriers limiting migrant involvement in environmental activism.
- To explore the creation of human-environment attachments within migrant communities.
- To address methodological challenges in studying migrant environmental histories.
Main Methods:
- Employs duoethnography, utilizing intergenerational experiences of descendants of migrants.
- Analyzes personal experiences to understand how identity (class, ethnicity, language) shapes participation in public environmental debates.
- Applies the concept of 'environmentality' to examine identity-linked limitations and opportunities in environmental struggles.
Main Results:
- Identifies class and ethnolinguistic barriers as key factors in the limited engagement of migrant populations with environmental movements.
- Highlights methodological precarities, including restricted access to environmental knowledge for migrants and challenges in documenting their histories.
- Demonstrates how individual positionality, shaped by intersecting identities, mediates participation in environmental discourse.
Conclusions:
- Duoethnography provides a valuable method for navigating methodological precarities in environmental studies.
- Understanding the intersection of identity, environmentality, and activism is crucial for inclusive environmental movements.
- This approach offers potential for enriching scholarly debates on environmental justice and social participation.
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