Call for Papers for the special issue of Environment, Space, Place (University of Minnesota Press)

Indigenous ecologies and literary responses: Knowledge and rethinking sustainable development

Special issue editor: Goutam Karmakar, Durban University of Technology, South Africa

Indigenous peoples are typically characterised as ethnic groups descended from and identifying with the original inhabitants of a specific territory. The indigenous people generally can be designated as a group of people whose perspectives cannot be understood apart from their cultural and environmental settings, and whose religious beliefs and philosophy are intrinsically linked to their socio-cultural fabric. In the concept note, the term ‘indigenous’ denotes ethnic and/or local communities that associate themselves with a particular geographical or territorial area, which shapes their way of life and within which they cultivate their livelihoods, ideologies, sense of self, and environmental interactions. Indigenous communities have sustainably utilised and derived benefits from natural resources without indiscriminately damaging or annihilating them. This is ascribed to their culture of interconnectedness, cultivated over years of harmonious living and close interactions with the natural environment (Reyes-García et al., 2019; Golo, 2024). As per the information given by the United Nations, over 476 million indigenous individuals reside in 90 countries worldwide, constituting 6.2 percent of the global population. Among them, there exist around 5,000 unique groups. Indigenous peoples encompass Native Americans, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand, the Sami of Northern Europe, Indigenous minorities in Africa, and diverse tribal groups across Asia (Du, 2017). National designations such as native peoples, aboriginal peoples, first nations, adivasi, janajati, hunter-gatherers, or hill tribes frequently refer to indigenous and tribal populations. The Convention uses the inclusive wording “indigenous and tribal peoples” to reflect the variety of the populations it seeks to protect, attributing an identical set of rights to both categories. For example, in Latin America, the term ‘tribal’ has been used to describe specific Afro-descendant communities. Indigenous and tribal peoples possess distinct cultures, dialects, practices, and traditions that differentiate them from other segments of the societies in which they reside (International Labour Organisation, 2016).

Indigenous peoples share a historical continuity with a certain place predating colonisation and possess a profound connection to their lands. Indigenous peoples are frequently marginalised or inadequately engaged in decision-making processes about issues that directly impact them and are given little information about projects impacting their territories or the implementation of governmental or legal measures that might impact them. Moreover, they are frequently uprooted from their original territories due to initiatives like the extraction of natural resources. This indicates that the enduring barriers between the majority culture and Indigenous people impede the establishment of compassionate and trustworthy relationships, cultivating substantial cultural gulf. Zohar and Newhouse (2019) observe that the engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations has frequently been framed as ‘coercive tutelage,’ wherein Indigenous peoples are generally regarded as lacking the capacity of contributing significantly to the comprehension of contemporary human existence and its sustainability. This perception often leads to deep socio-cultural and political marginalisation and suppression, which is manifested in the rejection and ignorance of Indigenous perspectives, particularly those related to environmental sustainability and sustainable development. The denial and ignorance often overlook the fact that Indigenous communities have sustainably utilized and benefited from the environment, without harming it or exploiting it for capitalist gains and developmental impulses. This is due to their interrelationship ideology, which has been preserved and practiced over years of harmonious living and close connections with the surrounding ecosystem. Therefore, we argue that indigenous ecological understanding, norms, and values play a crucial role in managing and preserving ecological diversity, particularly when they align with conservation objectives, underscoring the significance of Indigenous ecologies in general.

Indigenous ecologies in this context encompass diverse domains, including the principles and ideologies of Indigenous communities, the politics of land recognition and rights, the broader perspective of environmental justice, valuable and distinctive Indigenous and local knowledge essential for the management of sustainable natural resources, Indigenous ecological management, and an ‘Indigenous-informed epistemology,’ which collectively provide an extensive framework for connecting communities with the natural world. Despite extensive research on the holistic integration of many knowledge systems in environmental research and environmental problem-solving, acknowledgement of indigenous and local knowledge systems is often limited. The possibility of fundamental transformation across various knowledge systems depends on a thorough recognition of the nuances of Indigenous ecologies as holistic socio-cultural and environmental worldviews that include knowledge, practices, values, resource management, activism, movements/resistance against colonial capital, and developmental paradigms.

Literary narratives often strive to transcend the conventional epistemological framework and reinstate excluded and suppressed epistemic perspectives. Narratives concerning Indigenous ecologies and worldviews provide an ethical framework that critiques colonial-capitalist perspectives on the environment and promotes empathy as a crucial attribute for fostering a just planetary space. This underscores that storytelling in literary criticism can raise awareness, impart knowledge, and inspire individuals to reflect on planetary solidarity and sustainability. Within this particular context of Indigenous ecologies, this special issue concentrates on literary narratives by global authors that engage with Indigenous world-making practices, challenging monistic interpretations of the environment. Indigenous ecologies undoubtedly align with the overarching paradigm of decolonial ecologies, which question prevailing environmental discourses by emphasising colonial ecological violence and capitalist and anthropocentric perspectives of the natural world while prioritising local and regional narratives of Indigenous peoples, their knowledge, and ecosystems, thus underscoring the necessity of preserving diverse assemblages of knowledge and lives. Literary narratives in respect to this special issue encompass fictions, non-fictions, memoirs, autobiographies, and other written forms where localised and oral traditions of Indigenous communities are documented. 

The special issue aims to focus on ‘Indigenous ways of living’ and ‘ways of being,’ as articulated in literary narratives, highlighting their ecological, place-based, localised, oral, and ancestral practices and knowledge that can act as catalysts for enhancing constructive interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, thus creating a framework for an ethical environment that promotes the flourishing of an ecology of knowledge. This special issue aims to foster a psychological connection to the natural world through indigenous worldviews, highlighting how literary narratives can motivate pro-environmental behaviour, help make choices for environmental sustainability, increase participation in conservation and community service, and contribute to awareness and engagement in environmental issues.

This special issue exclusively aims to present the marginalised, local, regional, and unexplored narratives of Indigenous communities, foregrounding their importance in the mainstream environmental discourse, instead of concentrating on the frequently discussed and overused literary narratives and authors. Therefore, this issue invites submissions on literary narratives that include but are not limited to:

• Colonial ecological violence on Indigenous communities and their ecosystem
• Extractive activities, practices, and policies with respect to Indigenous people
• Indigenous movements, resistance, and resource management
• Indigenous knowledge system (local/traditional/ecological) and sustainable development
• Climate coloniality and Indigenous ecologies
• Indigenous ways of perceiving the ecosystem and rethinking environmental policies
• Indigenous ecologies as broader forms of transformative and decolonial ecologies
• Environmental activism and eco-cultural restoration led by Indigenous communities
• Indigenous ecologies and bioregionalism
• Socio-ecological practice and wisdom of Indigenous communities
• Indigenous ecologies and climate futurity

Submission Instructions

Abstract of 500 words (excluding bibliography) and a 100 word bionote should be sent to the special issue editor, Goutam Karmakar (GoutamK@dut.ac.za) with a copy to the editor Troy R. E. Paddock (paddockt1@southernct.edu), no later than 31 March, 2025. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the special issue editor.

 IMPORTANT DATES

•           Deadline for abstracts: March 31, 2025

•           Notification of acceptance: April 30, 2025

•           Submission of full manuscripts: August 31, 2025

Submissions must be the author’s original work, not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration elsewhere. In your email, “cover letter,” please confirm in a statement. The manuscript should be between 6000-8000 words (including endnotes), double-spaced, 12- point style, and follow Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition. The text should be aligned flush left and “ragged” right. All texts should be in Microsoft Word format. Manuscript should be prepared as the guidelines of the journal which can be found here: https://www.upress.umn.edu/journals/environment-space-place/

Peer Review Process

Complete manuscripts (after the selection of abstracts) that will be submitted to this special issue of Environment, Space, Place will go through an initial internal review period during which the guest editor gauges their fit for the journal’s aims and objectives. After determining whether submissions fit the vision of the special issue and the journal, select manuscripts will be sent for double-blind peer review.

References

Du, J. T. (2017). Research on Indigenous People and the Role of Information and Communications Technology in Development: A Review of the Literature. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 66(4), 344–363.

Golo, B. W. K. (2024). The potential of indigenous religious ecologies for environmental conservation in contemporary Ghana: the Akan as a study case. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 42(3), 402–418.

International Labour Organization. (2016, July 22). Who are the indigenous and tribal peoples? https://www.ilo.org/resource/who-are-indigenous-and-tribal-peoples

Reyes‐García, V., Fernández‐Llamazares, Á., McElwee, P., Molnár, Z., Öllerer, K., Wilson, S. J., & Brondizio, E. S. (2019). The contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology, 27(1), 3-8.

Zohar, A., and Newhouse, D. R. (2019). Educating for a Sustainable World: Bringing Together Indigenous and Western Knowledges. In R. A. Turvey & S. Kurissery (Eds.), Intellectual, Scientific, and Educational Influences on Sustainability Research (pp. 121–137). IGI Global.