Hill stations as spatial injustice in a context of climate inequalities: Viewpoint from Indonesia and Vietnam
Résumé
This paper examines the ways in which Indonesian and Vietnamese hill stations are used for tourism in the context of climate inequalities. Developed in French and Dutch colonial empires, they have invariably been presented as prime locations in tropical countries where the climate is cooler and healthier but also as places where the population is predominantly white, which has justified some forms of segregation. Since the time of independence, domestic tourism in these areas could be perceived as a form of redistribution (even if only temporary) fostering access to coolness in a context of climate inequalities. To test this hypothesis, we have examined historical archives and conducted fieldwork in four hill stations in Indonesia and Vietnam. In accordance with Iris Marion Young’s perception of exploitation through its five faces of oppression, we demonstrate instead that tourism activities in those hill stations are closely bound up with the reproduction of social, spatial and ethnic inequalities, exacerbated by climate change.