Solidarity, Allyship, & Justice in an "Applied" Ethnobiology, Part II

Session Type: 
Oral
Session Date and Time: 
Friday, 12 May, 2017 - 10:30 to 12:00
Location: 
Biodiversity Center, B106
Session Organizer(s): 
Chelsey Geralda Armstrong - Simon Fraser University
Alex McAlvay - University of Wisconsin, Madison

Ethnobiology is touted by many of its members as inherently applied towards social and environmental justice causes. The Society of Ethnobiology's (SoE) website greets visitors with a welcome stating, “We are a non-profit organization of scholars, activists and communities…” While many seasoned ethnobiologists in SoE have engaged their work with social and environmental application, early-career scholars have often wondered how they can increase the social and environmental applicability their own work, asking, “how can we be more applied” and “what are examples of an applied ethnobiology”? In the face of global climate change and on-going colonialism, we ask those who have engaged in applied ethnobiology or advocacy to explicitly outline how their work has contributed to issues of social and environmental justice, resource management, Indigenous solidarity and well-being, and/or other ends, and what tangible results their work has produced. By highlighting the applied work of multiple generations - from our Society’s elders to up-and-coming-scholars – we hope to open a dialogue on strategies and approaches for the future of an applied ethnobiology