This week’s edition of Slow Digest was written by C21 Graduate Fellow Russell Star-Lack.
In the titanic world history, The Dawn of Everything, archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber trace the development of human culture and critique the idea that we have evolved linearly over time. In the process, they poke holes in several concepts that seem natural to us. One of those concepts is our idea of land ownership. According to Graeber and Wengrow, the western concept of land ownership, inherited from Roman law, is unique compared to other standards across the world in that it does not provision that owners need to take care of their property. If someone owns a home and decides to neglect it to the point the that it falls down, there is not much anyone else can do about it.
One can see how this could be a problem. We live in a world where the decisions of property owners not to care for their lands can have global consequences for the environment and for future generations. Trying to ensure a sustainable future, however, requires us to go against our accepted notion of land ownership. And this is just one roadblock in the struggle to find balance with our environment.
Fortunately, we still have access to alternative ethics of responsibility regarding how we care for our environment. Philosopher Kyle Whyte’s work explores these ethics. Whyte, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, researches how indigenous American epistemologies and approaches to care can be applied to contemporary environmental policy, topics he will speak on at C21’s Spring lecture on April 24.
If these questions interest you, here are a few resources related to Whyte and his work:
Research Center for Material Culture: Interview with Kyle Whyte
This short interview with Whyte covers his background and work on environmental justice and indigenous philosophy, as well as his thoughts on the ethics of museums.
Kyle Whyte, “Indigenous Climate Change Studies: Indigenizing Futures, Decolonizing the Anthropocene”
This is Whyte’s most cited paper, this article discusses the burgeoning field of indigenous climate change studies.
Kyle Whyte, “Conveners of Responsibilities”
This short article discusses the meaning of the Anishinaabe term, “convening responsibilities,” with respect to indigenous efforts to restore the great lake’s sturgeon population.
Marty Holtgren, Stephanie Ogren, and Kyle Whyte, “Renewing Relatives”
This article provides a more in-depth overview of the sturgeon restoration project.
Kyle Whyte, “The Roles for Indigenous Peoples in Anthropocene Dialogues: Some Critical Notes and a Question”
This blog post discusses how to have effective dialog with indigenous communities about the “Anthropocene” and its externalities.