Presentation short abstract

What we learn from Indonesian and Vietnamese hill stations about urban forms of climate injustice.

Presentation long abstract

This communication examines the postcolonial trajectories of Indonesian and Vietnamese hill stations in the context of climate change. Developed in the mountains of French and Dutch colonial empires, they have invariably been presented as prime locations for colonists where the climate is cooler and healthier but also as places where the population is predominantly white, which has justified urban forms of segregation. Since the time of independence, domestic tourism is now predominant in these areas and it could be perceived as a form of climate justice redistribution (Rawls,1971 ; Klinsky & Dowlatabadi, 2009), fostering access to coolness in a context of climate inequalities, in opposite to metropolitan hot areas such as Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh City.

We test this hypothesis by adopting a critical postcolonial perspective on the urban process (Roy, 2016 ; Yeoh, 2011) supported by our Urbaltour’ research program (French National Agency, ANR). We have examined historical archives and conducted fieldwork in four hill stations in Indonesia (Tretes and Garut) and Vietnam (Sa Pa and Da Lat). In accordance with Iris Marion Young’s five faces of oppression (1991) : exploitation, marginalization, cultural imperialism, powerlessness and violence, we demonstrate that actual domestic tourism in those hill stations are closely bound up with the reproduction of social and ethnic inequalities between low and highlands, also called “zomia” (Scott, 2009). Finally, we contribute to deconstruct the naturalization of freshness and its relationship with whiteness (Keucheyan, 2018).