“If the earth is a body, den a dam is a blood, watch wa gowin’ awn” The relationship between embodied knowledges of space and perceptions on climate change adaptation in St. Croix

Sammanfattning: As climate change adaptation becomes more mainstreamed, there has been an increasing focus on incorporating local knowledge to ensure equitable adaptation pathways. However, adaptation discourses prioritize scientific understandings of climate change, ignoring epistemological differences in knowing climate change. Interventions treat space as inert and fail to consider how spatial relationships constitute valid ways of knowing. By approaching adaptation as a spatial phenomenon, we challenge the current politics of knowledge around adaptation. We apply a relational ontological approach, conducting phenomenological study of residents in West St. Croix to unpack knowledge-making practices. We reveal that embodied mapping shapes understanding of environmental change, and subsequently informs views of adaptation processes. Residents view adaptation interventions as a technical apparatus apart from the lived experience. Our study demonstrates that knowledge is multiple, situated within socio-historical processes, and embedded in spatial practice. An inclusive adaptation framework needs to embrace plurality to inform a broader discussion of solutions.