The construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway represents one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in North American history, significantly reshaping regional economic systems, transportation networks, and geopolitical relations. However, beyond its widely recognized economic significance, the project generated profound social, territorial, and environmental consequences for Indigenous communities, particularly the Mohawk community of Kahnawà:ke. This study develops a comparative historical analysis to examine how the Seaway's construction functioned as a mechanism of environmental racism and forced territorial appropriation. Rather than treating infrastructure development as a politically neutral process, the research investigates how state-led modernization intersected with colonial governance, environmental decision-making, and Indigenous land dispossession. The study adopts a qualitative comparative historical methodology based on thematic interpretation, institutional analysis, and policy-oriented synthesis of existing scholarly literature. Although the available references primarily discuss culture, governance, institutional behavior, corruption, diplomacy, and comparative societal analysis, they provide valuable conceptual frameworks for understanding institutional power, cultural governance, decision-making structures, and public policy implementation. The analysis demonstrates that large-scale infrastructure projects may institutionalize unequal environmental burdens through asymmetric political authority, exclusionary governance mechanisms, and culturally embedded administrative priorities. Findings indicate that environmental racism extends beyond discriminatory intent and often emerges through institutional processes that systematically marginalize Indigenous participation while privileging national economic objectives. The paper contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by integrating comparative historical inquiry with governance theory, institutional analysis, and environmental justice perspectives. It further argues that contemporary infrastructure planning should incorporate Indigenous sovereignty, equitable environmental governance, and participatory decision-making as central principles of sustainable development.
A Comparative Historical Analysis of The St. Lawrence Seaway Development As A Mechanism Of Environmental Racism And Forced Territorial Appropriation In Kahnawà:Ke
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