Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

Rebecca K. Zarger, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Maya Trotz, Ph.D.

Committee Member

E. Christian Wells, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Amelia Moore, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Heather O'Leary, Ph.D.

Keywords

Anthropocene, Black Ecologies, Coastal Communities, Community Decision Making, Environmental Governance, Political Ecology

Abstract

Coastal communities around the world are at the epicenter of dynamic socio-environmental transformations driven by the impacts of climate change, shifting human–more-than-human environmental relationships, and the decisions made in response to these challenges. As environmental concerns intensify, the governance decisions made to address these impacts will determine the severity of the impacts and the future of affected coastal areas. In regions such as the Caribbean, Central America, and Latin America, environmental governance is complicated by uneven power dynamics, historical legacies of racialized environmental spaces, and the ongoing challenge of balancing national economic growth with environmental preservation. These transformations are not only reshaping physical landscapes but are also deeply influencing community identities and the systems of environmental governance for African-descendant groups with longstanding ties to coastal spaces, such as Kriol and Garifuna communities in Belize. This research examines the lived experiences of environmental governance decision-making with Kriol and Garifuna coastal communities in Belize.

Fieldwork for this research was conducted on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize, specifically in Placencia Village, Seine Bight Village, and the surrounding marine spaces and cayes. Participant observation (both in-person and virtual), interviews, and archival research were methods used in this study to shed light on the socio-economic and cultural repercussions of Belize’s current coastal environmental governance structures. The study explores the lasting implications of historical racialized environmental systems for Kriol and Garifuna communities’ environmental decision-making processes. Key results from this project highlight how Kriol and Garifuna communities navigate consultation and engagement processes, define their cultural identity, adapt to, and resist environmental governance systems that hinder their ability to participate in decision-making.

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