Crisis, Injustice, and Socio-Ecological Justice

Abstract

This article theorizes on crises, injustice, as well as socio-ecological justice by taking the case study of a drought crisis occurring in shallow wells belonging to local residents vis-à-vis the deeper wells of hotel establishments in Yogyakarta. The hotel establishments themselves are facing a crisis of overproduction— an integral part of “Accumulation by Dispossession” (AbD). However, the theory of AbD, grounded in the contradiction between labour and capital, is inadequate in explaining this crisis. As the drought phenomenon comprises non-labour elements, the theory of overproduction needs to be supplemented with a theory of crisis of underproduction (aleon). The socio-ecological injustice resides in the operation of hotel wells that is dictated by exchange-value, while all household wells are governed by use-value. To achieve socio-ecological justice, this article suggests positing use-value as an axis in determining the relationship between humans and non-human elements to build an interconnected anti-capitalism movement.