ESPF Colloquium, David P. Schweikard (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)

Regional Discrimination and the Geography of Justic

Discrimination is widely regarded as an infringement on basic rights or claims of individuals. According to widely received analyses, discrimination occurs when actions, practices, or policies wrongfully impose relative disadvantages on persons based on their membership in some salient social group. Predominantly, the salient groups in question are understood as defined by individuals’ race, sex/gender, disability, national origin, religion, political views, language, sexual orientation or age. In this talk, I argue that beyond discrimination based on such demographic factors, we should recognize a specific form of discrimination for which geographic factors are crucial points of reference. I characterize this as regional discrimination, explain when and how it occurs, and defend it as a specific form of discrimination. I then discuss what makes regional discrimination wrong and consider how, insofar as it’s acknowledged as an issue in the geography of justice, it could be addressed.