Conference Call for Proposals: Fifth Annual EcoJustice and Activism Conference & Workshops; Due 1/15/16

Conference Call for Proposals: Fifth Annual EcoJustice and Activism
Conference & Workshops; Due 1/15/16

Theme: Reclaiming the Commons: Diverse Ways of Being and Knowing
March 17-19, 2016 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI.

EcoJustice Education is an approach that analyzes the deep cultural
roots of intersecting social and ecological crises, focusing
especially on the globalizing cultural, economic and political forces
of Western consumer culture. EcoJustice scholars and educators also
study, support, and teach about the ways that various cultures around
the world actively resist these colonizing forces by protecting and
revitalizing their commons—that is, the social practices and
traditions, languages, and relationships with the land necessary to
the healthy regeneration of their communities. By emphasizing the
commons, especially its enclosure or privatization, EcoJustice
educators and activists understand social justice to be inseparable
from and even imbedded in questions regarding ecological well-being.

This conference is organized to engage activists, educators, students,
and scholars in deep and meaningful discussion around what we can do
together to address and organize actions aimed at alleviating and/or
eliminating current social and environmental injustices occurring in
our local, national, and international communities.

This year’s theme, Reclaiming the Commons: Diverse Ways of Being and
Knowing aims to engage discussions about the importance of the vastly
diverse commons practices, their relations and their histories across
the planet. We understand the commons as social and political,
cultural and ecological, ontological and epistemological including
often-ancient practices, relationships, traditions, knowledge, skills,
and ways of being—both human and the more-than-human. We especially
acknowledge our engagement with complex and diverse ecological
communities. We encourage a wide range of critical/ethical
perspectives from within artistic, scholarly, activist and other
community groups. These could include presentations, performances, or
exhibitions that express and examine the interactions and
interdependencies among diverse cultures, languages, and living
systems.

We also welcome related presentations on animal welfare, environmental
philosophy, climate change, ecofeminism and other gender studies,
critical race theory, eco-pedagogy, eco-ability, post-humanism,
anarchist studies, new materialist studies, place-based education,
critical animal studies, critical cultural studies, political ecology,
peace studies, critical geography, indigenous studies, indigenous
education, post/anti-colonial studies, critical literacies, critical
pedagogy, urban studies, eco-philosophy, eco-democratic reforms,
EcoJustice education, and critical disability studies.

Questions? Contact Co-Chairs, Rebecca Martusewicz,
rmartusewicz@gmail.com, or Monica Shields Grimason mshield1@emich.edu
Proposals are due January 15, 2016.
Submission Guidelines for Paper, Panel, and Artist Presentation,
Workshop or Alternative Session proposals can be found at
http://ecojusticeconference.weebly.com/