New Books in Critical Theory Infrastructure, Development, and Racialization
Nov 24, 2024
Begüm Adalet, an assistant professor at Cornell University, dives into the intersections of infrastructure, development, and racialization. She discusses how international development efforts often marginalize communities and draw on histories of colonialism. Adalet highlights the complexities of the Green Revolution in Turkey and its impacts on class and race. She also examines how anti-colonial movements challenge these narratives, advocating for alternative approaches to built environments that empower marginalized identities.
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Green Revolution's Conflicting Interpretations
- The Green Revolution had conflicting interpretations: a tool for good or imperial control.
- Adalet examines its role in Turkey's biopolitical infrastructures and its pacification of Kurdish regions.
Biopolitical Infrastructures in Turkey
- Biopolitical infrastructures manage populations through interventions in biological processes.
- In Turkey, the Green Revolution, tied to earlier land and population transfers, aimed to homogenize the nation and economy.
Racialization as a Political Category
- Adalet uses racialization as a political category of practice observed in actors' language.
- This differs from political scientists' use of ethnicity, which may not reflect actors' on-the-ground discourse.
