Gathering Indigenous Science, Technology and Environment

The Technoscience Research Unit (TRU) is pleased to host these two public keynotes as part of our first Indigenous Science, Technology and Environment (Indigenous STE) Symposium, a closed event for Indigenous scholars from across Turtle Island, on May 15-17th, 2024.

Yale University, Author of Cooling the Tropics (Duke University Press, 2022)

Abstract: Nestled between Honolulu Harbor and Daniel K. Inouye Airport is a low-lying tract of land surrounded by turquoise shallows that most know as Sand Island. Originally a collection of atolls and mudflats utilized for its abundant fishing during the early 19th century, Sand Island was constructed out of dredged sand and coral and seafloor over the course of the following century through a process called ‘land reclamation.’ By the mid-20th century, the island had become a municipal wasteland and a quiet space for unhoused Kanaka Maoli, and others, to settle into an informal fishing village. In the winter of 1979, the State of Hawaiʻi evicted residents in order to make way for a state recreational facility, leading to a month’s long standoff. This paper analyzes the eviction of the Sand Island community in the context of the techno-social forms of property-making that transpire through the process of land reclamation. Through this, I argue that land reclamation, as an imperialist project, transforms the conditions and possibilities of life upon it, reconfiguring relationships with ecologies as well as state power.

Arizona State University, Author of Network Sovereignty (University of Washington Press, 2017)

Abstract: A research agenda is an overarching plan of research projects. Research agendas help teams of researchers generate multiple explanations with regard to a) wicked problems or b) complex problems pertaining to the mission of an organization. Over years of exploratory inquiry among individual teams, those in collaboration realize the need to coordinate. Many of us who apply Indigenous approaches to study very large-scale sociotechnical phenomena such as infrastructures that cross national borders, ubiquitous data flows, pernicious social harms, and toxins with long-term effects are developing the insights and skill to sustain creative inquiry through multi-year cross-institutional research agendas. What happens when we as Indigenous STS researchers share our most profound insights about Indigenous futures? How can we collectively identify wicked problems and grand challenges based on our perspectives and work? Structurally, what features do we need to coordinate research agendas around these grand challenges? Let’s think together, and find ways to more thoughtfully work together.

This event is funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund - Acceleration Consortium, and the Canada Research Chair in Science and Technology Studies and Environmental Data Justice.

All are welcome.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, Canada