Perspectives on Geographical Marginality Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš Walter Leimgruber  Editors Globalization, Marginalization and Conflict Political, economic and social processes Perspectives on Geographical Marginality Volume 6 Series Editors Walter Leimgruber, Department of Geosciences, Geography, University of Fribourg/CH, Fribourg, Switzerland Etienne Nel, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand Stanko Pelc, Department of Geography; Faculty of Humanities,  University of Primorska, Koper-Capodistria, Slovenia This book series Perspectives on Geographical Marginality comprehensively overviews research, on areas and communities impacted by processes of marginalization as a result of globalization, economic, environmental, political and social change. This series seeks to discuss and determine what is geographical marginality by inviting leading international experts to publish theoretical and applied work. It also seeks to rigorously debate the degree to which local areas and communities are responding to these process of change and with what success. The series stems from the International Geographical Union’s (IGU)‚ ‘Commission on Globalization, Marginalization, and Regional and Local Response’ (C12.29). As is suggested by its name, the commission researches the problem of geographical marginality offering a leading forum from which this series will be led. Marginality cannot be defined without putting it into a certain perspective: economic, political and social (including cultural). Marginality has to be clearly distinguished from peripherality. Marginal areas may be a part of periphery or even the centre, but “cannot really be attributed to them”. Proposed themes which will be covered include: • Mountainous regions and globalization • Regional development and policy/or: Globalization and its impact on local and regional development • Theory of marginalization • Transformation of rural areas from the viewpoint of globalization and marginalization • Drivers of marginalization in border and peripheral areas. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15046 Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš • Walter Leimgruber Editors Globalization, Marginalization and Conflict Political, economic and social processes Editors Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš Walter Leimgruber Faculty of Science, Department of Geosciences, Geography Department of Geography University of Fribourg/CH University of Zagreb Fribourg, Switzerland Zagreb, Croatia ISSN 2367-0002 ISSN 2367-0010 (electronic) Perspectives on Geographical Marginality ISBN 978-3-030-53217-8 ISBN 978-3-030-53218-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53218-5 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Preface Globalization, based on the neoliberal paradigm, has been creating inequalities at all scales across the world, constituting its dark side. The choices taken by (multi- national and other) enterprises, often backed by the political system and its major decision makers, privilege certain regions and groups, while others find themselves at a disadvantage and are marginalized. Studying marginalized regions and people can sometimes be painful as one begins to side with the disadvantaged, yet we have to look at these phenomena also from a neutral scientific perspective, seeing them as an expression of life that consists of diversity and difference. We also have to acknowledge that they can change, although in certain cases, ideas are very strongly entrenched and difficult to be eradicated. The present capitalist socio-economic model is obsessed with the idea that every- thing must follow its Western standards. In its mainstream expression, it leaves no space to deviations that are found in local and regional culture – the way men’s suits resemble each other across the world is a telling example, but also the fact that English has become the sole language of science, although relevant research is also published in other languages. Besides, it privileges quantity over quality, as is mani- fest in the ‘publish or perish’ attitude. This is the sixth volume of the book series Perspectives on Geographical Marginality, and it explores diverse sides of the complex relationship between glo- balization and marginalization in many regions of the world. The case studies address its political, economic, social, and cultural processes and implications as well as its conflict potential. The book is organized into three parts, discussing the implications of global- ization on society in terms of marginalization and conflicts, identities and bor- ders, and poverty and disparities. It provides practitioners, researchers, studentsand other interested readers with a compelling look on various sides of globalization, including the dark one, which affects the most sensitive and vul- nerable parts of society. v vi Preface Finally, we offer our warmest thanks to the authors for their contributions as well as their patience and cooperation during the editorial process. We also thank the entire team at Springer (Evelien Bakker, Bernadette Deelen-Mans, Corina van der Giessen and Neelofar Yasmeen) for their constant support in bringing this book to fruition. Zagreb, Croatia Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš Fribourg, Switzerland Walter Leimgruber Contents Part I Introduction 1 Marginalization – The Dark Side of Globalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš and Walter Leimgruber Part II S ociety, Conflicts and Marginality 2 Civil Society vs. Globalization and Marginalization: Polarized vs. Organic Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Walter Leimgruber 3 Do We Need to Change the System? Think Global and Create a Local Alternative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Kristjan Nemac 4 Armed Conflicts as Generators of Marginalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Stanko Pelc Part III Identities and Borders 5 Relict Borders as Present Social-Cultural Divides in Czechia: An Example of Religious Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Tomáš Havlíček 6 Environmental Response to Marginality: Between Borderlands and Littoralization in the Eastern Adriatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš 7 Other and/or Marginal: Coexistence of Identities in the Historical Borderlands of Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš vii viii Contents 8 Geography Education and the Borderlands: Using a Marginalized Discipline to Teach About the Margins . . . . . . 101 Lisa Millsaps, Thomas B. Larsen, Mary Curtis, and Maria Monakhova Part IV P overty and Disparities 9 Living on the Edge: Housing Challenges of the Urban Poor in Port Elizabeth, South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Leizel Williams-Bruinders and Anton de Wit 10 Caste Rigidity and Socio-economic Condition of Dalits in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Sahab Deen 11 Roma, Marginalization, Globalization and Conflicts Over Water: The Case of Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Alenka Janko Spreizer 12 The Circulation of Knowledge at the Time of the Agroecological Transition, the Case of the Drôme Valley (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Sabine Girard, Pierre-Antoine Landel, and Corentin Thermes Part V C onclusion 13 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Walter Leimgruber and Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš Contributors Mary Curtis University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA Sahab Deen Center for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India Anton de Wit Department of Geosciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Borna Fuerst-Bjeliš Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Sabine Girard UR LESSEM, INRAE, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France Tomáš Havlíček Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia Pierre-Antoine Landel UMR CNRS 5194 PACTE – CERMOSEM, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France Thomas B. Larsen University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA Walter Leimgruber University of Fribourg/CH, Fribourg, Switzerland Lisa Millsaps University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA Maria Monakhova University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA Kristjan Nemac Science and Research Centre Koper, Koper, Slovenia Stanko Pelc Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia Alenka Janko Spreizer Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia Corentin Thermes UMR CNRS 7324 CITERES, Université de Tours, Tours, France Leizel  Williams-Bruinders Department of Geosciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa ix