Published on Aug 13, 2016
Professor Kyle Whyte presented a lecture on Climate Change, Traditional Knowledge, and Environmental Justice at York University’s first ever Indigenous Environmental Justice Symposium (May 26th, 2016).
About Professor Kyle Whyte:
Kyle holds the Timnick Chair in the Humanities at Michigan State University. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Community Sustainability, a faculty member of the Environmental Philosophy & Ethics graduate concentration, and a faculty affiliate of the American Indian Studies and Environmental Science & Policy programs. His primary research addresses moral and political issues concerning climate policy and Indigenous peoples and the ethics of cooperative relationships between Indigenous peoples and climate science organizations. He is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. His articles have appeared in journals such as Climatic Change, Sustainability Science, Environmental Justice, Hypatia, Ecological Processes, Synthese, Human Ecology, Journal of Global Ethics,American Journal of Bioethics, Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics, Ethics, Policy & Environment, and Ethics & the Environment.
About the Indigenous Environmental Justice (IEJ) Knowledge Sharing Symposium (held at York University on May 26, 2016):
The first of its kind in Canada, the IEJ knowledge sharing symposium was held to advance the theory and practice of EJ scholarship by engaging with Indigenous peoples to more fully develop the concept of “justice” and the policies and laws necessary to enable just relations. The IEJ symposium creates a forum to share ideas, knowledge and experiences to help us understand what environmental justice means. Furthermore, if EJ studies are to benefit Indigenous peoples, then they must include knowledge, principles and values already held and practiced by Indigenous peoples. An important way to include and hear the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples is to engage directly in sharing knowledge through an IEJ symposium. The IEJ symposium brought together activists, youth, women, artists, Elders, scholars, leaders, environmental practitioners, activists, advocates and community members to share their perspectives and experiences relating to the following questions:
What is currently known about Indigenous Environmental Justice (IEJ) in Canada?
What does Environmental Justice (EJ) mean in an Indigenous context and from an Indigenous perspective?
The symposium consisted of remarks and teachings shared by Elders/Grandmothers, women, youth and activists. Knowledge was shared via panel discussions, presentations, lectures, storytelling and creative expression (art).
In the spirit of social and environmental justice, the event was live streamed so anyone, anywhere could participate. In keeping with the theme of knowledge sharing, each presentation will be made available via video.
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