Work

Climate Migration and Cultural Preservation: The Case of the Marshallese Diaspora

Year: 2018

Type: book-chapter

Abstract: Potential land loss in PacificPacific island countries from rising sea levels raises many concerns regarding how nation states will continue to function politically and economically in the event of climate-induced relocationRelocation of their populations. This piece expands that conversation, addressing the impacts of relocationRelocation on cultural heritageCultural heritage , drawing on data from interviews with migrants from the Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands to the United States. The study seeks to understand the challenges and opportunities of cultural preservation among the Marshallese diasporaDiaspora . Marshallese accounts of life in the United States indicate many opportunities for cultural preservation, particularly for those living in communitiesCommunities with large Marshallese populations, while also presenting challenges based on social, economic, and geographic differences between the U.S. and the Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands . Understanding the means through which Marshallese migrants maintain cultural traditions and the challenges current migrants face, can help us address potentially irreversible, but avoidable lossesLosses of cultural traditions in the event of mass displacement.

Source: Climate risk management, policy and governance

Parent work: Loss and Damage from Climate Change: Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72026-5_16

Author: Alison Heslin

Institution: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Language: English

Topic: Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid