Maui Land Grabs: An Unsaid Analysis of Disaster Capitalism and its Impacts on Native Hawaiians

• In Event: Green Criminology VII: Issues of Indigeneity

Abstract

On August 8, 2023, four wildfires ravaged the island of Maui. Authorities have confirmed 100 fatalities from the Lahaina fire ranging in age from 7 to 97 years old. Almost all of the physical infrastructure on the island was destroyed, including sacred and historical sites. Due to the destruction, at least 7,200 of the 13,000 residents of Lahaina have been displaced. The estimated cost to rebuild the damaged infrastructure is US$5.5 billion. Public safety officials, researchers, and activists have been warning for years of potential wildfire danger in Maui due to the growing population on the island, as well as consequences of climate change such as flash droughts and invasive grass.

Following the fires, Native Hawaiians have been fighting off land grabs from big developers. Developers have been exploiting the disaster by making below-market offers for land while playing on the residents’ fears of foreclosures and rebuilding costs. In this paper, we utilize an unsaid analysis to explore the harms that occur in the silences surrounding disaster capitalism in Hawaii. We are developing implications for change using an unsaid analysis.

Authors

• Sydney Shevat, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• Helen Wilds, University of Tennessee, Knoxville