Planetary Specters

“As the planet continues hurtling toward disaster at breakneck speed, Ahuja presents a convincing framework for understanding environmental racism.”—Scientific American

“A vital and stimulating read—both for its piercing rebuttal of the racism inherent in current ideas of climate migration, and for its analysis of the material changes of the past seventy years in the age of oil.”—US Intellectual History

“Neel Ahuja’s Planetary Specters is a wholly original, important analysis of the figure of the 'climate refugee.' Drawing upon racial capitalism and critical refugee studies, this analysis refocuses the attention back from the 'climate refugee' to histories of empire, development theory and practice, and ongoing legacies of oil extraction and capitalist violence. A crucial read for those who care about climate injustice, migrant circuits, and how to imagine futures after capitalism.” — Julie Sze, author of Environmental Justice in a Moment of Danger

“This is an outstanding book. The breadth of its discussion — particularly the geographical regions and historical periods under study — is impressive. Neel Ahuja makes a critical intervention into ongoing discussions of migration, climate change, and war, asking us to pause and to ask: what are the conditions in which people are forced to move, and how are these conditions historically produced?” — Renisa Mawani, author of Across Oceans of Law: The Komagata Maru and Jurisdiction in the Time of Empire

“Vast research and careful analysis has gone into this book. It is clearly written and forcefully argued, and it is a tremendously important and compelling work that should be read by anyone who wants to understand climate change.” — Priscilla Wald, author of Contagious: Cultures, Carriers, and the Outbreak Narrative