Geography of Inequality
Code: 104260 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2503710 Geography, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 3 | 2 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OT | 4 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Antonio Miguel Solana Solana
- Email:
- antoniomiguel.solana@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Teachers
- Antonio Miguel Solana Solana
Prerequisites
There is no requirement.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of the subject is to study, from a theoretical and practical point of view, global inequalities and their local implications from the perspective of social geography. We will focus mainly on urban areas but also on other scales of analysis. The course will begin with a theoretical reflection on the concept of "inequality" and will continue to examine the spatial distribution of wealth and poverty and the geographies of exclusion and discrimination. Topics related to gender, social class and ethnic inequalities, the interaction between globalization and unequal development, historical trajectories and spatial models of inequality, migration and human and social mobility, local studies of segregation and urban inequality will be studied, and the links between social inequality, the environment and nature. Examples will be given from both the North and the Global South.
a) To know the main theoretical and conceptual contributions on issues related to inequality and social vulnerability, from a specifically territorial and urban perspective. Special emphasis will be placed on the economic and political factors behind the process of social and territorial inequality.
b) To adequately and accurately diagnose the phenomena of territorial inequality, social vulnerability and poverty. To have the ability to evaluate, based on quantitative and qualitative methods, the size and characteristics of the phenomenon.
c) Propose action measures to reverse situations of territorial inequality, social vulnerability and poverty through the appropriate use of urban and social policies.
Competences
- Geography, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning
- Combine distinct techniques and methods of representation and spatial analysis in elaborating materials for transmitting results.
- Critically analyse the relationship between society and the region applying the conceptual and theoretical framework of geography.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Contemporary History, Politics and Economics
- Analyse the sociodemographic, geoeconomic and environmental dynamics at different territorial scales.
- Assess the social, economic and environmental impact when acting in this field of knowledge.
- Manage and apply data to solve problems.
- Relate fundamental questions of the current economic situation with previous economic developments on the basis of the main elements of contemporary economic history.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
Learning Outcomes
- Combine distinct techniques and methods of representation and spatial analysis in elaborating materials for transmitting results.
- Consider problems of inequality, population distribution and urbanisation in the world, among other things.
- Examine how different social, economic, political and environmental processes create and transform spaces and social relationships.
- Explaining the structure of today's world from a geographical point of view.
- Identify and understand social and regional inequalities in society.
- Manage and apply data to solve problems.
- Propose viable projects and actions to boost social, economic and environmental benefits.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
Content
1. Conceptualization of inequality and social vulnerability
1.1. Key concepts: Inequality-Diversity; Social and territorial segregation; vulnerability and poverty; Social inclusion-exclusion; social polarization
1.2. Intersectionality
1.3. Inequality measures and indicators. Alternatives?
1.4. Social/environmental/climate/spatial justice. Wellfare and wellness. Redistribution Policies
2. The global scale of territorial inequality. Social inequality, territorial inequality: the perspective from political economy and unequal geographic development
2.1 Evolution of global inequality: Long view (history) and short view (recent past)
2.2 The inequality transition
2.3 Neoliberal policies and the growth of social inequality
a) Expulsion
b) Neoimperialism
c) Offshore
Topic 3. Global change, environmental change: inequality and vulnerability
3.1. External debt, ecological debt and unequal ecological exchange. Toxic imperialism and colonialism
3.2. Global (climate) change and inequality/vulnerability
3.3. (Neo)extractivism and land and resource grabbing. Biopiracy
3.4. Environmental racism
3.5. Environmentalism of the poor and alter-globalization movements
3.6. (Socio)-environmental justice and climate justice
Topic 4. The local scale of territorial inequalitaty: city and inequality
4.1 Territorial segregation: city of the rich and city of the poor
4.2 Merchandise city vs. redistributive city
4.3 Ghetto/Hyperghetto
4.4 Urbanism of fear and gated communities
4.5 Uneven health
4.6 The right to the city
4.7 Social and urban movements
Methodology
Master classes.
Debates.
Group work / challenge base learning
Reading of articles.
Oral presentations.
The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Classes in classroom | 40 | 1.6 | 5, 3, 4 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials and evaluation | 10 | 0.4 | 6, 7 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study + compulsory readings | 60 | 2.4 | 10 |
Assessment
CONTINUOUS AVALUATION
Assessable activities
2 partial evaluation exams of the 4 topics: 30%
Work/course project (group): 30%
Oral presentation of the different phases of the project (in groups): 15%
Essay on compulsory readings (individual): 15%
Classroom participation: 10%
The first day of the class will be discussed in detail the evaluation activities. They will be uploaded to Moodle and will be discussed in the classroom.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
To pass the subject, the two exams and the course work/project must be passed with a minimum of 5 each evidence, in order to calculate the final grade for the subject.
Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.
There will be a re-evaluation of all those presented tests that have not passed the 5. The re-evaluation of the theoretical exams will be in the form of an exam. The re-evaluation of the rest of the activities will consist of referring the evidence. Re-evaluated activities score between 0 and 5.
The following activities are excluded from the recovery process: oral presentations and tasks related to daily teaching activity.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, unauthorized use of IA, etc.) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasiblealternatives.
SINGLE AVALUATION
It will consist of 3 evidences that will be carried out on the same day:
1.- Exam on the contents and concepts of the subject (50%)
2.- An exam on the compulsory readings of the course (25%)
3.- An oral presentation (15 minutes) on a case of social/territorial/environmental inequality. At the beginning of the test, the teacher will provide the material to be able to build the case and the guiding questions that the student must answer. The student will have one hour to prepare a ppt presentation that will serve as a guide for the oral presentation that she will do next (25%)
To pass the subject, the student must pass a minimum of 5 each of the 3 evidences.
The same recovery system will be applied as for the continuous evaluation
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 partial exams of evaluation of the 4 topics | 30 | 3 | 0.12 | 4, 10, 8 |
| Classroom participation | 10 | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 7 |
| Essay (from required readings) (individual) | 15 | 8 | 0.32 | 5, 3 |
| Oral presentation of the different phases of the project (in group) | 15 | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 4 |
| Project (in group) | 30 | 18 | 0.72 | 6, 2, 10, 8, 9 |
Bibliography
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Bauman Zygmunt (2001), La globalización (Consecuencias humanas). México: FCE.
Bauman Zygmunt (2012), Vidas desperdiciadas (La modernidad y sus parias). Barcelona: Paidós.
Bauman, Zygmunt (2014), ¿La riqueza de unos pocos beneficia a todos?. Barcelona: Paidós.
D’Alisa; Giacomo; Demaria, Federico; Kallis Giorgios (2015), Decrecimiento (Vocabulario para una nueva era). Barcelona: Icaria.
Escalante González, Fernando (2016), Historia mínima del neoliberalismo (Una historia económica, cultural e intelectual de nuestro mundo, de 1975 a hoy). México: Turner.
Göbel, Bárbara; Góngora-Mera, Manuel; Ulloa, A. (eds) (2014). Desigualdades socioambientales en América Latina a Göbel, Bárbara; Góngora-Mera, Manuel; Ulloa, ed.). Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Hay, Iain; Beaverstock, Jonathan V. (2017), Handbook on wealth and the super-rich. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Harvey, David (2021), Espacios del capitalismo global. Hacia una teoría del desarrollo geográfico desigual. Madrid: Akal.
Islam, Nazrul; Winkel, John (2017). Climate Change and Social Inequality. DESA Working Paper
Jelin, Elizabeth; Motta, Renata, Costa, Sergio (2020). Repensar las desigualdades. Cómo se producen y entrelazan las asimetrías globales (y qué hace la gente con eso), Buenos Aires: Siglo Veintiuno.
Firebaugh, Glenn (2003), The new geography of global income inequality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Martínez Alier, Joan (2011). El ecologismo de los pobres (Conflictos ambientales y lenguajes de valores). Barcelona: Icaria.
Martínez Alier, Joan; Oliveras, Arcadi (2010). ¿Quién debe a quién? (Deudaexterna y deuda ecològica). Barcelona, Icaria.
Martínez Alier, Joan (2015), “Ecología política del extractivismo y justicia socio-ambiental”. INTERdisciplina, 3(7).
Milanovic, Branko (2016), A new approach for the age of globalization. Cmbridge: Harvard University Press.
Pardo Buendía, Mercedes; Ortega, Jordi (2018). “Justicia ambiental y justicia climática: el camino lento pero sin retorno, hacia el desarrollo sostenible justo”. Barataria. Revista Castellano-Manchega de Ciencias Sociales, (24), 83–100.
Pearce, Fred (2013). The landgrabbers (The new fight over who owns the earth). Londres: Penguin.
Piketty, Thomas (2014), L’economia de les desigualtats. Barcelona: Edicions 62.
Pulido, Laura (2016). “Flint, Environmental Racism, and Racial Capitalism”. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 5752(July).
Roberts, J. Timmons; Parks, Bradley C. (2009). “Ecologically unequal exchange, ecological debt, and climate justice: The history and implications of three related ideas for a new social movement”. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 50(3–4), 385–409.
Sassen, Saskia (2015), Expulsiones. Brutalidad y complejidad en la economía global. Buenos Aires: Katz.
Secchi, Bernardo (2013). La ciudad de los ricos y la ciudad de los pobres. Madrid: Catarata.
Shiva, Vandana (2001). Biopirateria (El saqueo de la naturaleza y del conocimiento). Barcelona: Icaria.
Soja, Edward W (2014). En busca de la justicia espacial. València: Tirant.
Solana, Miguel; Badia, Anna; Cebollada, Àngel; Ortiz, Anna; Vera, Ana (2016). Espacios globales y lugares próximos (Setenta conceptos para entender la organización territorial del capitalismo global). Barcelona: Icaria.
Stiglitz, Joseph E.; Sen, Amartya; Fitoussi, Jean-Paul (2010), Medir nuestras vidas. Las limitaciones del PIC comoindicador de progreso. Barcelona: RBA.
Urry, John (2017), Offshore (La deslocalización de la riqueza). Madrid: Capitán Swing.
Wacquant, L. (2010). Parias urbanos. Marginalidad en la ciudad a comienzos del milenio. Buenos Aires: Manantial.
Software
Word, excel, powerpoint. Representation techniques and territorial designs.