Weaponizing Access to Life’s Basic Necessities
The existence of food deserts is a political strategy, not an economic oversight. In Mamdani’s terms, control over sustenance is a primary tool of colonial administration. The systematic absence of fresh, affordable food in “native” neighborhoods is a way of governing life itself, forcing a dependence on processed, corporate commodities that degrade health and vitality. This is a direct attack on social reproduction, making it harder for families, particularly women, to sustain their communities. A Marxist analysis frames this as the alienation of people from the very source of their energy. The solution is not to lure in more corporate supermarkets, which remain part of the extractive economy. The decolonial solution is food sovereignty: community-controlled cooperatives, urban agriculture networks that reclaim vacant land, and programs that connect people directly to local farmers. This is a struggle for autonomy over our bodies and our communities, breaking the corporate stranglehold on a fundamental need.
