This class interrogates how Indigenous and settler-colonial land relations are narrated on Turtle Island (which is another term for the North American continent used by many Indigenous nations). We ask questions such as: What are Indigenous and settler-colonial land relations? What does environmental injustice mean in the context of ongoing North American settler colonialism? What is the relation between environmental justice concerns and demands for Indigenous sovereignty? And how can we understand both landscapes and art as sites where these questions of justice and injustice are negotiated?
We will discuss different contexts of pollution, extractivism and infrastructural violence in order to analyse how land relations and environmental in/justice are narrated across different literary and cultural forms, genres and media—including policy, photography, music videos, poetry and fiction. As we engage with these different types of ‘texts,’ we critically examine what terms such as ‘landscape’ and ‘nature’ mean in different contexts, and we deconstruct colonial tropes such as ‘terra nullius,’ ‘wilderness’ and ‘purity.’ We anchor these discussions within the pivotal work done by Indigenous and environmental justice movements such as NoDAPL, Idle No More and the Land Back movement. We will be joined by Ma’ohi scholar Tamatoa Tepuhiarii for the final event and discussion (see comment below).
Our discussions will demand careful attention to situated knowledge (production) and the role of the reader/viewer as a co-producer of meaning. Students should be ready to approach the texts with open-mindedness in order to challenge and critically rethink their own assumptions, and to join in a shared, respectful process of reflection and learning. To do so, students are asked to complete the readings and participate in in-class discussions.
All texts will be provided in class.
This class is part of the project “Landscapes of In/justice,” which encompasses three classes offered in the department this semester (“Sacrifice Zones and Disaster Landscapes: Ecocriticism and Environmental Justice,” “Nature, Land, and Wilderness in African American Writing,” “Narrating Indigenous and Settler-Colonial Land Relations on Turtle Island”). Each class explores “Landscapes of In/Justice” from distinct research perspectives – from environmental humanities, Indigenous studies, and Black studies – and will have the chance to exchange their ideas and findings, and present them in a symposium at the end of the semester (July 17). The organization and co-hosting of the symposium gives students the opportunity to participate in academic knowledge production, learn from international guests, and gain knowledge in science communication and event management. The event and its dates are obligatory and non-negotiable. This will be factored into the workload of the class and reduced number of weekly sessions.
Modularbeit/term paper
Testat: academic presentation (e.g. poster, speaker introduction, critical key words)
