The story about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizons oil spill is one of ongoing health problems that will likely continue into the future. The fast dispersion of oil at the spill site is juxtaposed with the long-term health impacts caused by chemical exposure. People affected continue to fight for redress, demanding free treatment facilities and financial compensation. They build their claims on a damaged biological integrity, contesting notions of state and corporate responsibility. Worries about future chronic epidemics in the form of cancer are widespread. Posttraumatic stress shouldn’t be neglected in this case, but neither should physical health problems. The impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which had tremendous outcomes on the people who worked in the clean up, is an example of how physical health impacts are an issue that need to be taken seriously.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Petro-state politics
2.1 Shrimp and petroleum: An ambiguous relationship
2.2 Petro-state citizens
2.3 The deregulation of industry practices
3. Creating dispersed destinies
3.1 An illegitimate illness
3.2 Bio-politics between pastoral power and neoliberal governmentality
3.3 Public portrayal and personal impacts
3.4 Biological citizenship and the human right to health
4. Conclusions
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis examines how communities in South-East Louisiana navigate the uncertainty, health risks, and power imbalances resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It investigates the socio-economic and political mechanisms that render the suffering of local populations invisible while prioritizing industrial interests, and analyzes how citizens contest these power structures to demand recognition and health justice.
- The socio-political dynamics of a petro-state and its impact on citizen welfare.
- The ambiguity of health crises and the "illegitimacy" of illnesses caused by chemical exposure.
- The role of "pastoral power" versus neoliberal governmentality in disaster management.
- The construction of "biological citizenship" as a form of resistance for marginalized communities.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 An illegitimate illness
Who is going to continue treatment? Who can? Who knows what to do? If you don’t know anything that is in Corexit [the chemical oil dispersant], how are you going to fix that problem, if you are exposed to it? You’ve to know what they’re exposed to in order to help them with their medicals. It’s a big cover up. It has always been. It’s going to be that way for a long time to come. Unless some laws are changed in Louisiana, that’s how we are going to be treated. Like I said, getting the laws changed is very difficult here. You have the ‘good old boys’ system, which is people saying hold on. It’s Louisiana, Texas at its finest. – Clarice Friloux
How does a society recognize something as legitimate? How does it treat the ambiguous, the grey area, the illegitimate? The story about the health impacts of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill is strongly influenced by factors, which are not clearly defined. Towards the end of my stay in Louisiana, I was invited by Dr. Robichaux to join him and some of his patients during an interview session at his house, just on the other side of the road from his practice. Dr. Robichaux explained to the interviewer – a Canadian documentary film-maker – in detail, how the illness of people along the Gulf corresponded with symptoms soldiers had experienced after the Gulf war. Even more importantly, he exposed how the interpretation of these symptoms, and the application of treatment protocols, followed a very similar pattern of differing, often contradictory diagnoses, with negligence of patients personal experiences. These personal experiences of patient’s medical histories produced contradictory expertise against what most doctors diagnosed and treated them with.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research focus on the health crisis following the Deepwater Horizon spill, emphasizing the hidden impacts of oil and chemical dispersants on Gulf coast residents.
2. Petro-state politics: Analyzes Louisiana’s unique dependency on the oil industry and the resulting socio-economic structures that disadvantage local populations.
3. Creating dispersed destinies: Investigates the lived experience of health uncertainty, the failure of state response mechanisms, and the emergence of biological citizenship as a counter-strategy.
4. Conclusions: Reflects on the ongoing struggle for recognition and redress, highlighting the necessity for a paradigm shift in how environmental health and industrial accountability are addressed.
Keywords
Deepwater Horizon, Petro-state, Bio-politics, Neoliberal governmentality, Chemical exposure, Structural violence, Biological citizenship, Gulf of Mexico, Environmental health, Public health crisis, Industrial regulation, Non-knowledge, Louisiana, Counter-expertise, Social injustice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work investigates the health and socio-economic consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on residents of the Gulf coast, specifically focusing on how they cope with chemical exposure.
What are the central themes discussed?
Core themes include the influence of petro-state politics, the role of neoliberal governmentality in shaping disaster responses, and the emergence of biological citizenship among those affected.
What is the main research question?
The study asks how people manage the suffering and uncertainty of chemical exposure, how they perceive corporate and state power, and how they utilize their own resources to contest these structures for recognition.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The research is based on an ethnographic approach, involving participant observation, interviews with affected residents, experts, and activists, and the analysis of social/political discourses.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
It covers the political economy of Louisiana, the "illegitimacy" of health symptoms linked to the spill, the limitations of state-led medical monitoring, and the struggles for legal and scientific redress.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include biological citizenship, structural violence, bio-politics, environmental health, and petro-state dynamics.
How does the author define the "petro-state" context in Louisiana?
The author argues that while Louisiana doesn't technically qualify as a petro-state, it exhibits "resource curse" characteristics, where high reliance on oil revenues leads to systemic neglect of local health, education, and infrastructure.
What is the significance of the "non-knowledge" concept in this thesis?
The author argues that "non-knowledge" regarding chemical exposure is used by state and corporate actors to re-categorize symptoms into existing medical categories, effectively rendering the actual health crisis invisible.
What specific role did activists play in this research?
Activists and local groups acted as bridges between the author and affected individuals, challenging official narratives and helping to produce counter-expertise to contest the lack of recognition for their health issues.
- Arbeit zitieren
- licentiatus philosophiae Simon Meier (Autor:in), 2012, Dispersed Destinies. Bio-politics after Deepwater Horizon, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/276223
