Defying Climate Determinism: A Study of Climate  Change and Migration Decisions in Guinea-Bissau

Santos, Cláudia Luísa Gouveia dos

http://hdl.handle.net/10451/58912

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Authors

Santos, Cláudia Luísa Gouveia dos

Advisor(s)

Mourato, João Morais Lavadinho

O’Riordan, Timothy

Abstract(s)

This thesis challenges prevailing misconceptions about mass migration induced by human caused climate change. I adopt a people-centred approach by using ethnographic field research in Guinea-Bissau to understand the reasons why individuals choose to move or stay put. I ask to what extent climate change and environmental degradation influence people’s decisions to migrate. Using a case-study across coastal, island, urban, and hinterland areas, I show that although climate and environmental related factors pose serious concerns for livelihoods, it is structural violence, the deprivation of basic and fundamental rights, and political indifference that systematically place Bissau-Guineans under precarious conditions. Overall, respondents included in this study voice opposition to the political neglect of their immediate needs and provide compelling evidence as to why viewing them as ‘poor and vulnerable’ is flawed. The unjust circumstances they experience indicate that the historical power structures and relations justify their ‘vulnerable condition’ and the need to overturn the state’s attitudes and actions. Finally, this research analyses how Judith Butler’s notion of vulnerability as resistance manifests in the lives of Bissau-Guineans. I unveil that resistance, along with communal solidarity, is a crucial mobilisation mechanism for securing people’s livelihoods and informing their decision of staying put. Although theoretical contributions on non-migration or immobility are growing, limited attention is still paid to those who voluntarily or forcefully stay put. The empirical outcome of this thesis indicates that halting the cumulative harm that places Bissau-Guineans at a disadvantage is paramount to tackling climate change locally. The counter-narratives I expose offer vital information on the intricate developmental contexts in which hazards operate or may operate in the future. By adopting a nuanced perspective rather than a deterministic one, we can better understand why people move, stay put, and how they decide to do so.