Chemical Necromancy

Abstract This article examines the historical formation of environmental sacrifice zones, using Louisiana's Cancer Alley as a case study by focusing on the relationship between cotton and the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. Corporate communications before World War II often portrayed cotton as integrated into the growing chemicals industry, positioning petrochemicals as a successor to the plantation economy. By analyzing visual culture within corporate communication, the article investigates how corporate visual representations normalize industrial development despite its creation of toxic landscapes.