Ecological and democratic crises in the history of Manfredonia, Italy

Ecological and democratic crises are known to be closely linked. In the history of Manfredonia (Italy), the relationship between them has been revealed as a complex set of dynamics: on the one hand, its environmental degradation determined mistrust in democratic institutions; on the other, during the years of the struggle against the Manfredonian petrochemical plant, the local environmental movement experienced significant democratic participation. To analyze the connection between environmental and democratic crises, the history of Manfredonia is examined by introducing some of the concepts elaborated by Environmental Justice. These are: its broad definitionof the environment; the matter of democratic participation in the use of the territory; the issue of narrative injustice, which leads to the need to overcome mainstream narratives through participatory historical research. The research intends to enhance local knowledge, promote shared authority, and produce tools for the population to initiate their own democratic processes of participation.