Decolonize Conservation: Global Voices for Indigenous Self-Determination, Land, and a World in Common--Conversation with Ashley Dawson

In this episode of Speaking Out of Place we talk with Ashley Dawson about his new co-edited book, Decolonize Conservation: Global Voices for Indigenous Self-Determination, Land, and a World in Common, an anthology of essays by Indigenous activists from the Global South arguing against “fortress conservation” and “protected areas” whose existence is predicated on displacing indigenous peoples, and false claims about the expected benefits of such violence. They argue: It’s not all humans who are destroying “nature”; it’s one particular way of life and ideology. In reality, we are part of nature and must stop pretending we are separate. This is a human crisis and not only a climate or environmental one. Protecting nature must come to be seen as a vital aspect of this wider issue—how to live and create a world in which a healthy and decent life.”

This episode is part of a new collaboration between Speaking Out of Place and The Creative Process, a Paris-based project that brings issues of art, culture, and politics to a world audience. We are excited by this partnership, and grateful to The Creative Process for producing this episode and sharing it through its global channels.

Ashley Dawson is Professor of English at the Graduate Center / City University of New York and the College of Staten Island. Recently published books of his focus on key topics in the Environmental Humanities, and include People’s Power: Reclaiming the Energy Commons (O/R, 2020), Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change (Verso, 2017), and Extinction: A Radical History (O/R, 2016). Dawson is the author of a forthcoming book entitled Environmentalism from Below (Haymarket) and the co-editor of Decolonize Conservation! (Common Notions, 2023).