Environment; justice; ethnicity; immigration; Filipinos; Mexicans; ecology; farmers; plagues; colonialism

Kolář's chapter examines the intersection of ethnicity and environmental justice in the immigrant autobiography America Is in the Heart (1946) by Filipino American writer Carlos Bulosan and the novel The Rag Doll Plagues (1992) by Latinx author Alejandro Morales. Both works confront pressing social issues tied to environmental injustice, which they present as legacies of colonialism and postcolonialism. While Bulosan’s autobiography primarily focuses on class, ethnic, and gender discrimination, it also addresses environmental concerns related to the exploitation of Asian immigrant workers in urban and rural areas of the American West. The chapter highlights how Bulosan’s narrative portrays immigrants’ experiences as shaped not only by their interactions with the society they enter but also by their engagement with the surrounding landscape. The chapter places particular emphasis on Morales’ novel The Rag Doll Plagues, focusing especially on its dystopian section, which vividly depicts the devastating impact of ecological catastrophe on humans afflicted by a mysterious pandemic caused by human-generated waste. In the context of the recent coronavirus pandemic, Morales in his novel envisioned the serious health, ethical and ecological problems our civilization has to face now. Furthermore, the chapter delves into Morales’ critique of environmental injustice, as reflected in disparities in environmental and health policies and the inequitable living conditions faced by Mexicans and Mexican Americans (Chicanos). By combining ecocriticism, postcolonial theory, and ethnic studies, this chapter explores the representation of marginalized social groups in both novels, shedding light on the complex relationship between ethnicity and environmental justice.

Kolář's chapter examines the intersection of ethnicity and environmental justice in the immigrant autobiography America Is in the Heart (1946) by Filipino American writer Carlos Bulosan and the novel The Rag Doll Plagues (1992) by Latinx author Alejandro Morales. Both works confront pressing social issues tied to environmental injustice, which they present as legacies of colonialism and postcolonialism. While Bulosan’s autobiography primarily focuses on class, ethnic, and gender discrimination, it also addresses environmental concerns related to the exploitation of Asian immigrant workers in urban and rural areas of the American West. The chapter highlights how Bulosan’s narrative portrays immigrants’ experiences as shaped not only by their interactions with the society they enter but also by their engagement with the surrounding landscape. The chapter places particular emphasis on Morales’ novel The Rag Doll Plagues, focusing especially on its dystopian section, which vividly depicts the devastating impact of ecological catastrophe on humans afflicted by a mysterious pandemic caused by human-generated waste. In the context of the recent coronavirus pandemic, Morales in his novel envisioned the serious health, ethical and ecological problems our civilization has to face now. Furthermore, the chapter delves into Morales’ critique of environmental injustice, as reflected in disparities in environmental and health policies and the inequitable living conditions faced by Mexicans and Mexican Americans (Chicanos). By combining ecocriticism, postcolonial theory, and ethnic studies, this chapter explores the representation of marginalized social groups in both novels, shedding light on the complex relationship between ethnicity and environmental justice.