Geography of Inequality
Code: 107584 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Geography, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning | OP | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Antonio Miguel Solana Solana
- Email:
- antoniomiguel.solana@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
In order to take this course, you must have a level of Catalan and/or Spanish equivalent to or higher than B2.
There are no other prerequisites.
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. 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 and the enviromental inequality. 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 environmental 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 spatial and social policies.
Learning Outcomes
- CM12 (Competence) Evaluate the social and spatial consensuses necessary to implement plans derived from the urban and socio-demographic analysis.
- KM20 (Knowledge) Describe sociodemographic inequalities in relation to different geographic scales.
- SM14 (Skill) Use statistical and information bases on demographic, gender and inequality aspects.
- SM15 (Skill) Interpret relevant data to make judgments about sociodemographic and gender inequality situations in the territory.
- SM15 (Skill) Interpret relevant data to make judgments about sociodemographic and gender inequality situations in the territory.
Content
1. Conceptualization of inequality and social vulnerability
1.1. Key concepts: Inequality; Poverty and wealth (social polarization); Vulnerability.
1.2. Intersectionality
1.3. Inequality measures and indicators. Alternatives?
1.4. Social/environmental/climate/spatial justices. The right to the city
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. Welfare and redistribution policies
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 economical and 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. Territorial and urban segregation. Environmental racism
3.5. Environmentalism of the poor and alter-globalization movements
3.6. (Socio)-environmental justice and climate justice
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Classes in classroom (TE) | 30.5 | 1.22 | CM12, KM20, SM15, CM12 |
| Practical sessions (PAUL) | 16.5 | 0.66 | CM12, SM14, SM15, CM12 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Practical exercices | 15 | 0.6 | CM12, KM20, SM14, SM15, CM12 |
| Tutorials and evaluation | 10 | 0.4 | SM15, SM15 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study + compulsory readings | 75 | 3 | CM12, KM20, SM14, SM15, CM12 |
Master classes.
Debates.
Group work / challenge base learning
Reading of articles.
Oral presentations.
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classroom participation | 10 | 0 | 0 | SM15 |
| Essay (from required readings) (individual) | 15 | 0 | 0 | KM20, SM15 |
| Oral presentation of the different phases of the project (in group) | 15 | 0 | 0 | KM20, SM15 |
| Project (in group) | 30 | 0 | 0 | CM12, KM20, SM14, SM15 |
| 2 partial exams of evaluation | 30 | 3 | 0.12 | CM12, KM20, SM15 |
CONTINUOUS AVALUATION
Assessable activities
2 partial evaluation exams: 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.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for bibliographic and/or information searches and text correction in this course. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and provide a critical reflection on the influence of these technologies on the process and final result of the activity. Failure to be transparent about the use of AI in this evaluable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may result in a partial or total penalty on the grade for this activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.
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
Bibliography
Bauman, Zygmunt (2005). Vidas desperdiciadas. La modernidad y sus parias. Barcelona: Paidós.
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.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |