Toxic Debt
Josiah Rector
Abstract
<italic>Toxic Debt</italic> examines the history of Detroit from the late 19<sup>th</sup> century to the present through the lens of environmental justice. It links the making of environmental inequality in Detroit to the intertwined histories of racism and capitalism in the city, from the rise and fall of automobile manufacturing to the city’s bankruptcy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The book also documents the history of the environmental justice movement in Detroit, from fights against dangerous working conditions and polluting facilities to the movement against water shut-offs in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. In the process, <italic>Toxic Debt</italic> challenges conventional narratives about the environmental justice movement’s history and development since the 1970s.