New Directions for Environmental Justice
New Directions for Environmental Justice: 2023 Stavro Lecture
Hosted by Trent University
At this presentation, Dr. Wiebe will explore the key themes of her book Life Against States of Emergency. It takes us back to the Idle No More movement, highlighting Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence's significant ceremonial fast of 2012–13. At the core of the book lies the question that Chief Spence posed to the Canadian public: What does it truly mean to be in a treaty relationship today? Through extensive community-engaged research with members of the Attawapiskat Nation and drawing from disciplines such as critical discourse analysis, ecofeminist and Indigenous Studies, as well as art, activism, and storytelling, the speaker will reveal how the book advances a transformative approach to treaty relationships, grounded in the lived experiences of Indigenous communities.
Dr. Sarah Marie Wiebe grew up on Coast Salish territory in British Columbia, BC. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hawai'i, Mānoa with a focus on community development and environmental sustainability.
She is a Co-Founder of the Feminist Environmental Research Network Collaborative and has published in journals including New Political Science, Citizenship Studies and Studies in Social Justice. She is the author of Life against States of Emergency: Revitalizing Treaty Relations from Attawapiskat with UBC Press, 2023.
Her book Everyday Exposure: Indigenous Mobilization and Environmental Justice in Canada's Chemical Valley (2016) with UBC Press won the Charles Taylor Book Award (2017) and examines policy responses to the impact of pollution on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation's environmental health. At the intersections of environmental justice and citizen engagement, her teaching and research interests emphasize political ecology, policy justice and deliberative dialogue.