In current times of ecological precarity, marked by climate change, ecological degradation and mass species extinction, the task of ecological restoration has become an urgent, perhaps the most urgent challenge for humanity. At its core, this task is fundamentally about re-story-ing human relationships with the more-than-human world. It is about changing the story of who we are as humans and how we relate to and belong to the rest of the world. For this, we would do well to turn to Indigenous cultures around the world for guidance. Indigenous Peoples around the world have often maintained relationships of care, respect and reciprocity with the natural world and offer pathways healing ecologies (and us in the process). The course will draw from Indigenous worldviews, ontologies, activism, and environmental justice movements from around the world to question top-down, market-oriented, technocentric solutions to climate change and ecological crisis; and will explore alternative ways of organizing our social and economic lives to address it. We will learn from Indigenous scholars, and from Indigenous Elders and community leaders from Canada and the global South, about ecological stewardship, efforts for decolonization and social transformation, and learn how to translate these lessons to everyday environmentalism that we can practice here and now. This learning will be facilitated by guest lectures, videos, and virtual visits with communities in different parts of the world. Action-oriented assignments will foster problem-solving and experiential learning.
In current times of ecological precarity, marked by climate change, ecological degradation and mass species extinction, the task of ecological restoration has become an urgent, perhaps the most urgent challenge for humanity. At its core, this task is fundamentally about re-story-ing human relationships with the more-than-human world. It is about changing the story of who we are as humans and how we relate to and belong to the rest of the world. For this, we would do well to turn to Indigenous cultures around the world for guidance. Indigenous Peoples around the world have often maintained relationships of care, respect and reciprocity with the natural world and offer pathways healing ecologies (and us in the process). The course will draw from Indigenous worldviews, ontologies, activism, and environmental justice movements from around the world to question top-down, market-oriented, technocentric solutions to climate change and ecological crisis; and will explore alternative ways of organizing our social and economic lives to address it. We will learn from Indigenous scholars, and from Indigenous Elders and community leaders from Canada and the global South, about ecological stewardship, efforts for decolonization and social transformation, and learn how to translate these lessons to everyday environmentalism that we can practice here and now. This learning will be facilitated by guest lectures, videos, and virtual visits with communities in different parts of the world. Action-oriented assignments will foster problem-solving and experiential learning.
