The Dutch and the Banda Islands
Who is Jan Pieterszoon Coen?
He is the Dutch Governor-General in the Banda Islands, an accountant by training, 33 years old, and stationed on the fleet when the musket fire is heard from the lamp falling incident (11). One of his notable quotables is “there is nothing in the world that gives one a better right than power” (11). He is responsible for the Banda massacre.
Who/what originated the notion of an individual’s “carbon footprint” and why?
The oil industry. British Petroleum (BP) popularized the idea of the carbon footprint to shift responsibility for climate change from corporations to individuals. This strategy redirected attention away from systemic accountability and corporate practices.
What is the primary difference between a mechanistic view of the Earth and a vitalist view of the Earth?
The "mechanistic metaphysic" suggests that nature is composed of separate, inert parts to be exploited for human benefit. Vitalist views see the earth as a living, interconnected whole.
How does Ghosh feel about Hardin’s theory, “The Tragedy of the Commons”?
He thinks it’s bullshit.
“There are, in fact, innumerable examples of people responding to crises by adopting measure that required greater cooperation” (176).
“Indeed, common lands existed everywhere in the world, with no tragic consequences, until Europeans, armed with guns and the ideas of John Locke and his ilk, began to forcefully impose draconian regimes of private property” (176).
The “Little Ice Age” – what was it?
A period of global cooling during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Ghosh explains, “during this time there was a sudden drop in atmospheric carbon” (52).
What consequences did Coen face for his role in the Banda massacre?
Basically nothing. He left the Banda Islands two months later and earned “some mild words of reproof” from the VOC, not because of the massacre of thousands but because elders had been killed (39). Later, the VOC “backtracked and voted to reward [Coen] with a gratuity of three thousand guilders” (39).
What is the petrodollar system?
The petrodollar system refers to the practice of pricing and trading oil in U.S. dollars. This system strengthens the U.S. dollar's global dominance, as countries need dollars to buy oil, reinforcing demand for the currency and allowing the U.S. to maintain economic influence worldwide.
What is the anthropocene?
A period of geologic time marked by human activities.
Why is the spice trade of the seventeenth century comparable to the current day oil industry?
Both spice and oil are unevenly distributed and must be transported long distances across oceans. A lot of spices and oil originate in the area around the Indian Ocean. Both spices and oil have led to major violent conflicts.
According to Ghosh, why did coal take precedence over water-powered alternatives in the nineteenth century?
Because “fossil fuels possess the property of reinforcing structures of power” (101). Water-powered mills were far cheaper and equally productive as coal, but (according to Malm), coal “was a superior medium for extracting surplus wealth from the working class” (qtd. on 102-3).
What was Jan Pieterszoon Coen’s nickname?
Ghosh writes, “known, behind his back, as De Schraale (‘Old Skin and Bones’), he is a blunt, ruthless man, not given to mincing his words” (11).
What is “the tragedy of the commons”?
Garrett Hardin's "tragedy of the commons" is a theory suggesting that individuals acting in their own self-interest will overuse and deplete shared resources, leading to the collapse of those resources for everyone.
Why have Western environmentalists had a bad reputation (especially among disadvantaged communities)?
Western environmentalism is inseparable from institutionalized racism and white supremacy, “leaving a legacy of elitist, anti-Indigenous prejudice in conservation organizations around the world” (225).
What does a “mechanistic vision of the world” have to do with European attitudes toward other continents and cultures, according to Ghosh?
European attitudes that viewed other continents and other races as inferior led to the idea that “Nature” is “an inert entity” to be conquered.
What is America’s largest employer and real estate owner?
The Department of Defense
What fundamental differences does Ghosh describe between the commercial practices of the Bandanese and the Europeans?
The Bandanese prefer trading with many different entities and nations; the Europeans want to establish a trade monopoly.
What is racial capitalism?
The idea that capitalism has always been intertwined with race, meaning that the system of economic exploitation depends on and perpetuates racial hierarchies. In this framework, racial oppression and economic exploitation are inseparable.
What is climate justice?
Climate justice emphasizes the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized and vulnerable communities and advocates for fair policies that prioritize equity, human rights, and environmental sustainability. It seeks to hold those most responsible for emissions accountable while ensuring solutions benefit everyone, especially those historically disadvantaged.
Why does Ghosh say that terraforming is a mode of warfare?
“To remake immense stretches of terrain to suit the lifestyles of another continent inevitably entailed the undermining and elimation of the ways of life of those who had inhabited those lands for many thousands of years” (55).
Ghosh cites Vine Deloria Jr., who explains two contrasting ways of viewing history. What are these two ways?
When something happened vs. where something happened. Ghosh explains that cultures that privilege time tend to ask WHEN something happens. Cultures that take their orientation from terrestrial spaces ask WHERE something happened.
What happened when Jan Pieterszoon Coen was in the Banda islands in 1609?
The first time Coen was in the Banda Islands, he was part of a force that was ambushed. 46 Dutchmen were killed, but Coen got away.
What is neoliberalism?
Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that emphasizes deregulation, privatization, and reduced government intervention. It often perpetuates inequalities established during colonial times by prioritizing profit over social and environmental justice.
Ghosh cites Max Liboiron who draws a distinction between land (lowercase l) and Land (uppercase L). How do they define Land?
"Land" with an uppercase "L" refers to the Indigenous conception of Land as a living entity encompassing relationships, responsibilities, and reciprocal connections among humans, non-humans, and the environment. In contrast, "land" with a lowercase "l" represents the colonial and capitalist viewpoint, treating land as a commodity or resource to be owned, exploited, and managed for economic gain, often disregarding the relational and sacred aspects recognized in Indigenous worldviews.
How/why does Ghosh connect the Western idea of ‘nature’ to biopolitical warfare?
Because Europeans believed that nature was wholly separate from human activity, they believed that using “material forces” and “natural processes” (instead of military violence) to decimate indigenous peoples absolved them from blame.
What argument does Sir Francis Bacon make to justify “Holy War”?
He argued that it is lawful for Christian Europeans to end the existence of certain groups. He wrote, "there are nations that are outlawed and proscribed by the law of nature and nations, or by the immediate commandment of God.” Therefore, it was lawful for any nation “that is civil and policed" to "cut them off from the face of the earth” (qtd in Ghosh 26).