Laura Pulido

Laura Pulido is an American geographer whose research focuses on environmental racism, racial capitalism, and social movements. She specifically examines how environmental inequality, such as pollution, disproportionately affects communities of color through systemic segregation and state policies. Her work is foundational in the field of critical human geography.

Pulido argues that environmental racism is not just an accidental byproduct of urban planning, but a deliberate result of racial capitalism and state policies. In her studies of Latinx and Black communities, she demonstrates how government-backed segregation intentionally placed marginalized groups closer to industrial hazards. She frames this as a structural mechanism to maximize profit at the expense of minority health.

In Pulido's research, racial capitalism describes the economic system where wealth accumulation relies on the exploitation and devaluation of non-white populations. She argues that capitalism inherently requires inequality to function, using mechanisms like environmental pollution to shift costs onto marginalized communities. Her work highlights how race and capital are deeply intertwined in spatial planning.

Yes, Laura Pulido has written extensively about the history and trajectory of the environmental justice movement. She has analyzed how grassroots organizations in the Southwest, particularly Latinx communities, mobilized against toxic dumping and land exploitation. Her book "Environmentalism and Economic Justice" is a key text on the subject.