Mediascapes of Ruined Geographies in the Global South

This book undertakes an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural interrogation of the Global South through the prisms of media and cultural studies. It closely explores the quotidian (re)territorialization, and brazen ruination of the material geographies of this vast expanse of the world by forces and proxies of (neo)colonialism and global capitalism of resource extraction. We cite the ongoing expulsion of Palestinians from their homelands by occupational forces, the emerging detritus dump across Mexico City and Lagos, the infrastructural precariousness of the favelas of Brazil, the unending resource-war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the flagrant operation of the oil industry in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria as examples of this geographic cataclysm. The centripetal forces of neo-colonialism and resource extraction at full-flight in the Global South, aided by toxic hegemonic forces, have overtly tossed some of the population to the peripheries of existence and the society at large. As such, this book, additionally, explores the resistance of the subalterns from the margins to this socio-political malaise, and further unmasks the knowledge production from these margins of the Global South. This project is divided into five (5) parts of three essays each. The first part examines the territorial contestation in the Middle East framed and expressed through films and literary lenses. The second part examines the environmental burden of modern consumerism and urbanization on metropolis across Mexico, Brazil, and Nigeria, while the third part explores the attritional violence of resource extraction in the DRC, Brazil, and Nigeria via filmic and journalistic lenses. The fourth part offers a swift response from the margins through ethnographic and journalistic interrogation of the subjectivity of the subalterns of Brazilian favelas, and street artists. The fifth part offers an engaging critique of the political climates of South Africa and Brazil that reinforce the environmental catastrophe of the regions of the world. ​ Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction References Part I: Contested Geographies of the South Chapter 2: Naji Abu Nowar’s Theeb (2014) and the Remapping of “Arabia” Introduction Naji Abu Nowar’s Theeb Opening Scene (00:01:12–00:06:19) The Visitor (00:08:50–00:33:14) “In questions of brotherhood, never refuse a guest” Of Wolves (00:33:50–01:34:56) Conclusion References Chapter 3: (Re)Visiting Place: Waters and Barriers in Lisa Suhair Majaj’s Geographies of Light, Suheir Hammad’s breaking poems and Annemarie Jacir’s Film Salt of this Sea Introduction Border Crossings and Contested Territorialities Breaking Walls, Breaking Waters, breaking poems Performing Resistance References Chapter 4: Puzzling Memories: Scattered Glimpses of a Journey to the (Un-homely) Land Introduction Landing in Nazareth The Land as Testimony A Never-Ending Tragedy—The Quotidian Nakba Conclusion References Part II: Metropolis of Waste, Ruins, and Dystopia Chapter 5: The Visual Landscape of Waste in Mexico City: Initial Approaches Introduction Mexico City: Six Million Men Strewn Among the Garbage Spatial Dimensions Landscapes of Recycling Final Considerations References Chapter 6: Lagos in Motion: Trailing the Environmental Ruins of Urbanization Introducing Lagos: A City on the Move Welcome to Lagos: How Does It Really Work Here? Lagos and Its Environmental Ethos of Destruction Inhabiting Lagos: A Squalid City of Modernity References Chapter 7: Sertão Through Narratives: The Invention of Dystopian Geography Introduction Sertão and Canudos Emerge A Dystopian Geography Press Reinforces the Marks: Cinema Explores Other Sertões References Part III: Post-Extraction Environment of the South Chapter 8: Colonization, Resource Extraction, and War in Blood Diamond Introduction The Politics of Resource Extraction in Blood Diamond Colonizing the Country: Nature, “Africans,” and the White Man Conclusion References Chapter 9: Building Fluid Spaces: The Narrative Power of Uncertainty in Journalism Analysis Introduction Journalism and Narrative: Complementary Notions Apprehension and Reality Constructions Legitimacy of the Place of Speech of Journalism Gaps of Fact, (Post)Truths, and Flexibilities Building Fluid Spaces: Narratives of Uncertainties to Rethink Approaches to Journalism Final Considerations References Chapter 10: Resistance from the Global South: Nigerian Press Coverage of Bonga Oil Spill Controversy Introduction Nigeria’s Resource-Curse Environmental (In)Justice in the Global South Framing Theory Methodology Results: Commodification of the Environment Discourse Practice Conclusion and Discussion References Part IV: Subterranean South, Cultures of Dissensus, Graffities, and Incarceration Chapter 11: Pixação and São Paulo’s Skin: Ethnographic Notes on the Challenge of a Fragmented and Verticalized City Introduction Understanding São Paulo: Perspectives of a Fragmented and Verticalized Metropolis Meeting São Paulo, Pixação and Pixadores: The Everyday Life of a Fragmented Metropolis Pixar is Human: Becoming a Pixador “Vamos Dar Um Rolê”? Performing Pixação With Friends From Hoods (quebradas) to Meeting Points Folhinhas Pixação: The Calligraphy of a Vertical and Enclosed City Pixação: Taking Risks, Reclaiming Existence Throughout The City Conclusion Works Cited Chapter 12: News of Peace and War: Survival Communication Modes in the Favelas of Complexo do Alemão Introduction The Act of Existing in a Context of Lethal Inequality Complex: An Insubordinate Noun To Survive and To Resist References Chapter 13: Subjectivating Faces: Notes on the Work with Images at Youth Correctional Centers Introduction: “A Good Thief is a Dead Thief” Representation Problems: Frames Faces and Feet: From Indifference to Identity Concluding Remarks References Chapter 14: Music, Politics, and Activism: The Case of the Use of “Carmina Burana” in Brazilian Protests Against the Impeachment in 2016 Introduction “O Fortuna” (Carmina Burana) From “O Fortuna” to “Fora Temer” (Oust Temer) #Occupy with Music Final Thoughts References Index