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Societies
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Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities
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Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 50058

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ranjan Datta

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Guest Editor
Canada Research Chair in Community Disaster Research at Indigenous Studies, Department of Humanities, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada
Interests: community disaster research; anti-racist perspectives on climate change research; decolonial perspectives on health well-being; building anti-racist communities; land-based sustainabilities; decolonial community-led participatory action research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight the building of sustainabilities from anti-racist perspectives as a form of resilience, particularly from Indigenous, Black, transnational immigrant, refugee, and settler communities in Canada and beyond. Although a great number of academic researchers have introduced anti-racism in their work, they have not explained what it means to think of anti-racism as a source of knowledge and understanding for transnational Indigenous, Black, immigrant and refugee communities. How can the responsibilities of anti-racism bring resilience to the communities? Why should immigrant, Black, and refugee communities practice land-based anti-racist learning for building sustainabilities? What does it mean to understand "anti-racist practice" as a system of reciprocal social relations and ethical practices and as a framework for sustainabilities? How can the Western concept of sustainability from and within cross-cultural perspectives be decolonized? This Special Issue will discuss these transdisciplinary questions that have not only challenged our static science and social science mindsets, but have also acknowledged the responsibilities of anti-racism—including building respectful relationships with Indigenous, Black, or immigrant people, respecting Indigenous Treaties, taking actions decolonizing our ways, learning the role of the colonized education processes, protecting our land and environment, creating food security, fulfilling food nutrition, creating an intercultural space for social interactions, and developing transnational solidarity.

Objectives

Authors will use many engagement methods from their everyday participatory research. For example, when we are working with a community, we do narrative research, we tell a story together, and we equally own that story. The scholarship that comes out of this research also looks very different, and its audience is not only restricted to scholars. The outputs have a social impact on the community, and they are defined in collaboration between researchers and community members. The main goal is to promote learning that leads to social action for anti-racist solidarity as a form of community-led sustainabilities. A good outcome for a project, for example, could a change in social policy.

Target Audience

Contributions will be considered from scholars, researchers, community members, and practitioners. The contributions should primarily examine and consider the recommended topics to ensure adequate consideration. Research into these suggested topics continues to emerge, and attention to current socio-cultural and political attention to this research has evolved into the present century, exploreing the legacy of acculturation and assimilation of land cultures. Doctoral dissertation researchers are also encouraged to submit manuscripts proposals aligned with the recommended topics.

Dr. Ranjan Datta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anti-racist theory and practice
  • indigenous environmental sustainability
  • building anti-racist communities
  • decolonization
  • indigenous reconciliation
  • community-based research
  • cross-cultural community empowerment

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Other

3 pages, 167 KiB  
Editorial
Anti-Racist Perspectives of Sustainabilities
by Ranjan Datta
Societies 2023, 13(5), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13050124 - 12 May 2023
Viewed by 1372
Abstract
This Special Issue centers on anti-racist and decolonial perspectives of sustainability [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Other

12 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
Decolonizing Sustainability through Indigenization in Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
by Yvonne N. Vizina
Societies 2022, 12(6), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12060172 - 22 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1955
Abstract
Sustainability discourse indicates a need to reconsider our approaches to social, economic, and environmental issues because, without deep transformation, global human survival is in jeopardy. At the same time, post-secondary education institutions in Canada are Indigenizing their settings but have rarely taken up [...] Read more.
Sustainability discourse indicates a need to reconsider our approaches to social, economic, and environmental issues because, without deep transformation, global human survival is in jeopardy. At the same time, post-secondary education institutions in Canada are Indigenizing their settings but have rarely taken up sustainability and Indigenization as related concepts. In this research, participants delivering Indigenous programming in ten colleges and universities across Canada contributed their insights on the relationships between Indigenous worldviews and sustainability in their territories and institutions. The five key findings that emerged from the study are: (1) Indigenous worldviews are based on a belief in the sacred, which orients Indigenous knowledges and responsibilities for sustaining life on Earth; (2) sustainability is expressed as a function of tradition linking Indigenous identity with culture, language, and environmental health; (3) entrenching Indigenous knowledges throughout institutions is to sustain cultural identity; (4) national and international standards supporting Indigenous self-determination are primary drivers for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges and advance the underlying principle of sustainability; and (5) Indigenous holistic learning includes social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
14 pages, 290 KiB  
Article
A Food Sovereignty Approach to Localization in International Solidarity
by Beatriz Oliver, Leticia Ama Deawuo and Sheila Rao
Societies 2022, 12(5), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12050145 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2836
Abstract
Renewed calls for localization and the “decolonization of aid” are raising questions about whose knowledge and control are privileged. This article argues that in order to support local decision-making on food systems and agricultural aid, international solidarity work should look towards food sovereignty [...] Read more.
Renewed calls for localization and the “decolonization of aid” are raising questions about whose knowledge and control are privileged. This article argues that in order to support local decision-making on food systems and agricultural aid, international solidarity work should look towards food sovereignty and agroecology approaches. Food sovereignty and agroecology, informed by feminist approaches, can provide important lessons for localization as they prioritize local knowledge and decision-making, and are based on social justice principles. They also provide alternatives to the problematic concept of “development”, particularly the agro-industrial development model which contributes to environmental and health crises, corporate concentration, colonialism and inequality. An example of the trajectory of the NGO SeedChange is provided to help illustrate how food sovereignty can: (1) provide an alternative to problematic development concepts, and (2) encourage localization and greater priority to global South perspectives. While acknowledging that there exist contradictions and challenges to shared decision-making, learning from partners in the global South working for seed and food sovereignty has been crucial to shaping the organization’s programs and policy advocacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
16 pages, 291 KiB  
Article
Responsibilities to Decolonize Environmental Education: A Co-Learning Journey for Graduate Students and Instructors
by Jean Kayira, Sara Lobdell, Nicolette Gagnon, Jennie Healy, Sal Hertz, Emma McHone and Emily Schuttenberg
Societies 2022, 12(4), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12040096 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2961
Abstract
We share our collective stories as instructors and graduate students with an interest in decolonial education on how we learned together in a course on Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). The course occurred in the environmental studies department at a predominantly White graduate school [...] Read more.
We share our collective stories as instructors and graduate students with an interest in decolonial education on how we learned together in a course on Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). The course occurred in the environmental studies department at a predominantly White graduate school in the Connecticut river basin in the area now known as the USA. The topic of IKS is steadily gaining interest in the environmental education (EE) field, as evidenced by an increase (albeit small) in the number of publications in peer-reviewed journals. At the same time, decolonial educators are looking for ways to teach IKS in an ethical and respectful manner. Our goal for this paper was to share how we grappled with questions around ethics and cultural appropriation. For instance, as decolonial educators who are not Indigenous to communities where we work and reside, can we facilitate lessons on IKS? If so, how can we do it in a manner that honors IKS and knowledge holders, is ethical, respectful and not appropriating? We learned that applying decolonization factors was crucial. Specifically, our work revealed four key decolonization factors: centering programs in Indigenous philosophies of education, privileging Indigenous voices and engaging Elders as experts, promoting Etuptmumk/two-eyed seeing, and employing Indigenous ways of teaching and learning. This paper makes contributions to the environmental education field, particularly decolonial educators who are seeking respectful and ethical ways to engage with Indigenous knowledge systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
17 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
Unsettling the Hegemony of ‘Western’ Thinking: Critical Reflection on My Journey to Understanding Campesino-a-Campesino Pedagogy
by Roseann Kerr
Societies 2022, 12(3), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12030076 - 04 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2684
Abstract
In the field of education for sustainability, there is a call to consider diverse livelihoods and world views beyond dominant anthropocentric, scientific, and ‘Western’ ways of understanding and living. For scholars and educators trained in ‘Western’ culture, this is complicated by how this [...] Read more.
In the field of education for sustainability, there is a call to consider diverse livelihoods and world views beyond dominant anthropocentric, scientific, and ‘Western’ ways of understanding and living. For scholars and educators trained in ‘Western’ culture, this is complicated by how this dominant culture is infused in all our ways of thinking and being. This paper explores the authors’ journey to unsettle their ‘Western’ thinking through analysis of reflexive field notes taken during field research. Data is shared from the author’s doctoral study of Campesino-a-Campesino (CaC) as an anti-racist pedagogy. The paper tells a story of the unsettling of the author’s assumptions about research, race, development, and education prompted by field experiences and guided by critical educational ethnography. An interdisciplinary approach to analysis is used including scholars in critical race theory, TribalCrit, Indigenous education, decolonization theory, and post-development theory. Conclusions illuminate researcher reflexivity, understanding critical context, learning the history of research, and shifting which scholars are considered in the analysis as crucial in the process of decolonizing the study of anti-racist pedagogies for sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
17 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Alaska Native Subsistence Rights: Taking an Anti-Racist Decolonizing Approach to Land Management and Ownership for Our Children and Generations to Come
by Heather Sauyaq Jean Gordon
Societies 2022, 12(3), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12030072 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6664
Abstract
The colonization of Indigenous Peoples in Alaska was based on racism and founded the current systemic racism, discrimination, and marginalization they experience today. Land stewardship was in the hands of Indigenous Peoples, and through colonization their land and rights to steward that land [...] Read more.
The colonization of Indigenous Peoples in Alaska was based on racism and founded the current systemic racism, discrimination, and marginalization they experience today. Land stewardship was in the hands of Indigenous Peoples, and through colonization their land and rights to steward that land were taken away. This paper is based on a participatory research project conducted in partnership with the Ninilchik Village Tribe (NVT) in Alaska utilizing ethnographic futures research scenario storytelling through Indigenous methodologies. Scenario interviews with community members explored land-based understandings of Indigenous sustainability and the roles that subsistence, food security, and food sovereignty have in maintaining sustainability and cultural continuity for children in the future. Due to state and federal land and water management practices, Alaska Natives are limited in their abilities to practice subsistence and steward their lands. An anti-racist approach to decolonizing land management and ownership is key to Alaska Natives regaining control of their subsistence rights for food security and cultural continuity for future generations. This paper speaks to policy makers, explaining the current racist and colonial situation and suggests an antiracist and decolonizing path forward through respecting Tribal sovereignty, prioritizing Indigenous-led stewardship, and giving land back to the Alaska Native Tribal Nations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
9 pages, 215 KiB  
Article
Unsettling the Settler: An Arts-Based Exploration
by Mindy R. Carter
Societies 2022, 12(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020046 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
This article considers how meta-narratives can be created through arts-based educational research as a way to shift personal positions and values, using a monologue called Unsettling the settler, written by the author. The creation of meta-narratives that disrupt ideas of national identity, [...] Read more.
This article considers how meta-narratives can be created through arts-based educational research as a way to shift personal positions and values, using a monologue called Unsettling the settler, written by the author. The creation of meta-narratives that disrupt ideas of national identity, the safety and security of patriarchal and colonial regimes, and who gets to decide what knowledge is worth knowing are essential as antiracist solidarity processes that seek to create belongingness, care and responsibility. This article picks up a thread from a long-term research project in which the author learnt from her participants (actors, audience members and the production team) that performing anti-racist, decolonizing work necessarily begins with an examination of one’s positionality (i.e., body/position/identity/race/cultural background, etc.). “Doing the work” means that one must be committed to sitting with discomfort and accept that there are no easy solutions as a part of the process of change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)

Other

Jump to: Editorial, Research

13 pages, 634 KiB  
Concept Paper
Low Job Market Integration of Skilled Immigrants in Canada: The Implication for Social Integration and Mental Well-Being
by Mohammad M. H. Raihan, Nashit Chowdhury and Tanvir C. Turin
Societies 2023, 13(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13030075 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 10355
Abstract
Skilled immigrants are critical assets to the social and economic dynamism of Canada. However, they are less likely to find employment matching their skillset due to a lack of inclusive post-immigration professional integration policies and support. They generally earn less and often live [...] Read more.
Skilled immigrants are critical assets to the social and economic dynamism of Canada. However, they are less likely to find employment matching their skillset due to a lack of inclusive post-immigration professional integration policies and support. They generally earn less and often live below the low-income cutoff relative to their Canadian-born counterparts. This paper aims to review the current situation of low job market integration (LJMI) of skilled immigrants in Canada and its implications on their social integration and mental well-being. Skilled immigrants continue to face disparities in getting desired jobs, despite having sufficient skills and credentials similar if not superior to that of Canadian-borns. Based on the existing literature, this study demonstrates that low job market integration limits skilled immigrants’ productivity, and they experience a lower level of social integration and deteriorated mental well-being. Therefore, initiatives from multidisciplinary and multisector stakeholders are necessary to improve skilled immigrants’ mental well-being by providing equal opportunities devoid of social exclusion and marginalization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
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10 pages, 234 KiB  
Concept Paper
A Critical Lens on Health: Key Principles of Critical Discourse Analysis and Its Benefits to Anti-Racism in Population Public Health Research
by Jessica Naidu, Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci and Tanvir C. Turin
Societies 2023, 13(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13020042 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6101
Abstract
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary research methodology used to analyze discourse as a form of “social practice”, exploring how meaning is socially constructed. In addition, the methodology draws from the field of critical studies, in which research places deliberate focus on [...] Read more.
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary research methodology used to analyze discourse as a form of “social practice”, exploring how meaning is socially constructed. In addition, the methodology draws from the field of critical studies, in which research places deliberate focus on the social and political forces that produce social phenomena as a means to challenge and change societal practices. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefits of CDA to population public health (PPH) research. We will do this by providing a brief overview of CDA and its history and purpose in research and then identifying and discussing three crucial principles that we argue are crucial to successful CDA research: (1) CDA research should contribute to social justice; (2) CDA is strongly based in theory; and (3) CDA draws from constructivist epistemology. A key benefit that CDA brings to PPH research is its critical lens, which aligns with the fundamental goals of PPH including addressing the social determinants of health and reducing health inequities. Our analysis demonstrates the need for researchers in population public health to strongly consider critical discourse analysis as an approach to understanding the social determinants of health and eliminating health inequities in order to achieve health and wellness for all. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
10 pages, 654 KiB  
Concept Paper
Racism as a Social Determinant of Health for Newcomers towards Disrupting the Acculturation Process
by Jessica Naidu, Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci and Tanvir Chowdhury Turin
Societies 2023, 13(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13010002 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2626
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that racism is a social determinant of health (SDOH), particularly for racialized minority newcomers residing in developed nations such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and European countries. This paper will focus on racism as a SDOH for [...] Read more.
Previous research has demonstrated that racism is a social determinant of health (SDOH), particularly for racialized minority newcomers residing in developed nations such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and European countries. This paper will focus on racism as a SDOH for racialized newcomers in these countries. Racism is defined as “an organized system of privilege and bias that systematically disadvantages a group of people perceived to belong to a specific race”. Racism can be cultural, institutional, or individual. Berry’s model of acculturation describes ways in which racialized newcomers respond to their post-migration experiences, resulting in one of several modes of acculturation; these are integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. After examining the definition and description of racism, we argue that racism impacts newcomers at the site of acculturation; specifically, the paths they choose, or are forced to take in response to their settlement experiences. We posit that these acculturation pathways are in part, strategies that refugees use to cope with post-displacement stress and trauma. To support acculturation, which is primarily dependent on reducing the effects of cultural, institutional, and individual racism, health policymakers and practitioners are urged to acknowledge racism as a SDOH and to work to reduce its impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
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14 pages, 536 KiB  
Concept Paper
Decolonizing Digital Citizen Science: Applying the Bridge Framework for Climate Change Preparedness and Adaptation
by Jasmin Bhawra
Societies 2022, 12(2), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020071 - 17 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4264
Abstract
Research has historically exploited Indigenous communities, particularly in the medical and health sciences, due to the dominance of discriminatory colonial systems. In many regions across Canada and worldwide, historical and continued injustices have worsened health among Indigenous Peoples. Global health crises such as [...] Read more.
Research has historically exploited Indigenous communities, particularly in the medical and health sciences, due to the dominance of discriminatory colonial systems. In many regions across Canada and worldwide, historical and continued injustices have worsened health among Indigenous Peoples. Global health crises such as climate change are most adversely impacting Indigenous communities, as their strong connection to the land means that even subtle changes in the environment can disproportionately affect local food and health systems. As we explore strategies for climate change preparedness and adaptation, Indigenous Peoples have a wealth of Traditional Knowledge to tackle specific climate and related health issues. If combined with digital citizen science, data collection by citizens within a community could provide relevant and timely information about specific jurisdictions. Digital devices such as smartphones, which have widespread ownership, can enable equitable participation in citizen science projects to obtain big data for mitigating and managing climate change impacts. Informed by a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, a decolonized lens to digital citizen science can advance climate change adaptation and preparedness efforts. This paper describes the ‘Bridge Framework’ for decolonizing digital citizen science using a case study with a subarctic Indigenous community in Saskatchewan, Canada. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
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10 pages, 222 KiB  
Concept Paper
“Now Is the Time to Start Reconciliation, and We Are the People to Do So”, Walking the Path of an Anti-Racist White Ally
by Margot Hurlbert
Societies 2022, 12(2), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020031 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2779
Abstract
Media accounts of hundreds of unmarked graves of children at the sites of residential schools in Canada in 2021 is one more urgent call for all Canadians to start walking the path for reconciliation, decolonization, and anti-racism. In this exploratory reflection utilizing hermeneutical [...] Read more.
Media accounts of hundreds of unmarked graves of children at the sites of residential schools in Canada in 2021 is one more urgent call for all Canadians to start walking the path for reconciliation, decolonization, and anti-racism. In this exploratory reflection utilizing hermeneutical phenomenology, my journey to reconciliation is described. Through a review of Indigenous law and sovereignty, Canadian numbered treaties, and residential schools, this article explores justice, discovering the truth, and advancing reconciliation. In order to achieve justice, first ethnocentrism, or our evaluation of Indigenous cultures according to our preconceived preference for our own standards and customs, must be recognized, exposed, and set aside. Without our own ethnocentric attachment, and consequently with an open mind, we can hear the truth of Indigenous peoples and internalize it. Examples include the truth of the treaties and residential schools. The reconciliation path entails pursuing justice; this includes recognizing both Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous law. This path doesn’t ‘restore’ relations historically, but does build reconciliation for the future. However, the process will not be comfortable. The reward will be a more equitable and inclusive society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-racist Perspectives on Sustainabilities)
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