A Greenhouse Research Talk by Jessica Louise Hall, Researcher at The Arctic Youth Network.
The concepts of "Sacrifice Zones" and "Wastelands" have become central to discussions at the intersection of Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and extractive development. While these terms are widely used to highlight systemic dispossession and environmental harm, their histories reveal complex and sometimes unexpected origins. This presentation traces their development and examines a key debate surrounding their contemporary use: while some argue these concepts expose ongoing injustice, others contend they risk reifying places and communities as irredeemable. By engaging with both perspectives, I explore how these terms function as both critical tools for advocacy and potential constraints on Indigenous resilience and self-determination.
Jessica Hall (she/her) is an England-born researcher based in Norway, specializing in nuclear and environmental issues in the Pacific and Arctic. With a background in Comparative Literature (BA, MSc), she later pursued a second master’s in Governance and Entrepreneurship, working closely with Métis and Sámi communities in Saskatchewan and Tromsø for two years. Hall’s research takes a comparative approach, with a strong focus on the role of language as a tool of colonial reinforcement.