Slow Violence and the Elusiveness of Space and Time

Abstract: This thesis analyzes a case of transnational environmental justice between Chile and Sweden following toxic waste exports in the 1980’s. Thematic analysis is applied to explore concepts of time and space presented amongst the different actors. Drawing from decolonial environmental justice theory, the thesis compares the use of linear Western time and the indigenous concept of Pachamama. The second part of the analysis is through the intersectional theory, which shows how space and time manifest in different ways depending on race, class, gender and ability. The thesis finds the actors strategically mobilize the concepts of time and space, within decoloniality and intersectionality, which influence the visibility of slow violence. A disconnection between time and space conceals slow violence, which ultimately limits environmental justice. However, an interconnectedness of time and space reveals slow violence, and supports the affected community’s claims to justice.