Places as experienced through a marginalized lens, are embodied by way of access or denial of opportunities and resources. However, marginalized bodies are always in the process of resistance and reshaping their experiences of places by challenging the dominant ideas. This talk focuses on the ways feminist counter-mapping can be a way for marginalized communities to create maps that challenge the dominant narratives and expose power imbalances.

Mapping as a method centers the marginalized communities thoughts, feelings and experiences by engaging with deeply situated interlocking systems of power that privilege or oppress people differently. Through a research that was conducted with five young women from homegrown neighborhoods in India who live at the intersectional marginalization of class, caste, religion, age and gender, the power of feminist counter-mapping as a way to tell narratives that are often silenced will be shared. Through engaging with feminist counter-mapping in order to share stories of the young women, this research attempts to understand the ways in which marginalized communities endure and challenge spatial norms and expectations thus reclaiming spaces for themselves.

Bio: Nabila Kazmi is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Victoria. Her research interests include intersectional feminism, space and placemaking, gender justice, feminist exhibitions, curation and adult education. Nabila has worked in informal and adult education spaces in India and Canada which includes working with non-profit and community organizations that work with youth on issues related to gender and class intersectionality. She is currently engaged in research projects pertaining to using of digital portfolio in mathematics classrooms and climate justice education programs for higher education.

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/91274733115

In this talk, Ana will present the findings of her doctoral research, which examines various approaches to integrating waste pickers into waste management systems worldwide within the context of a just transition to a circular economy. The discussion will highlight results from Canada, the United States, and Brazil, showcasing key differences and similarities.

BIO: Ana Maria Castro is a PhD candidate in Hydraulic Engineering and Sanitation at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. From September 2023 to February 2024, she was a visiting research student at the Community-Based Research Laboratory at the University of Victoria, Canada, where she studied the integration of waste pickers within the North American context. Ana holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering and a master's degree in Science, and she has experience in research and extension projects on waste management.

ZOOM LINK: Zoom Link

This talk is on the power of colonial boundary demarcations in transforming land governance in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Ben will share how conversations on history concerning power, actors and law is defining land governance institutions. He uses data from the archives to explain the evolution of colonial map making and the integration of native authorities in the colonial administration manifested in the social, political, and cultural lives of the commons. Ben will offer a perspective on how colonial map making and boundary demarcations are used as a nationalist discourse that ensconce a social and cultural sphere, and depict a territorialism of physical, legal and social landscapes to separate the commons from land, both in form and substance.

BIO: Benjamin Ajabuin (he/him) is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria. His research interests are centered more broadly on land tenure, global food systems and natural resource governance. He is particularly researching how global sustainability practices impact smallholder cocoa farmers' food security, livelihoods and environmental management decisions in Ghana.

ZOOM LINK: https://zoom.us/j/99822782507

Who: Susanne Börner

Title: Building emotional resilience through embodied and contemplative learning practices

When: Jan. 24, 2025
Where: David Turpin Building B323 and Online
Time: 11-12.30pm PST

Online Link: https://zoom.us/j/91432565796

What: Interconnected global challenges, such as increasing socio-economic disparities, the climate emergency, and the destruction of nature in areas with uncontrolled urban growth, significantly influence how young people make sense of their daily lives and imagine their future. Public policies and interventions continue to inadequately address the immediate and long-term wellbeing needs of marginalized youth. Particularly in the urban peripheries of the global South that suffer from both acute and chronic disaster risk, there is a need to rethink ways of creating environmental justice and developing emotional resilience for future-making.  

This also requires diverse participatory, creative, and contemplative forms of curriculum development on urban wellbeing that consider learning as a holistic, integrated, embodied, and experiential process. This contribution explores the lessons learned from a participatory photo-voice and a participatory body-territory mapping workshop for the creation of visual group narratives with 17 students from the University of Sao Paulo in the Eastern urban periphery of the city. The workshop enabled a reflection on multifaceted environmental injustices in environments marked by socio-environmental vulnerability while transforming students’ relations with self, fostering connectedness with others, as well as rethinking the relationships with everything around them.

Thursday, December 19 2024

• 10:00 AM-1:00 PM PST

• B323 David Turpin Building (map)

Speaker: Carolina Carvalho

Online Link:

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoceCgqjgvHtNCN0rYN82muIBOTsBMbWGk

Participatory mapping is the co-creation of maps with the community, using several tools that can be applied in different social contexts. This method can be applied with other participatory methods, complementing and enriching the community-based research approach.

With mapping it is possible to engage different social groups, develop socioenvironmental diagnoses, co-create knowledge for a more sustainable future and impactful products for social transformations. This workshop will cover the basic concepts of participatory mapping, the main tools and case studies as examples of possible applications of the tools presented, as well as a step by step guide to apply the method.

Speaker Bio: Dr Carolina Carvalho is an environmental and urban planner, and participatory mapping specialist. She is currently a postdoc and sessional lecturer at the CBRL, University of Victoria (UVic), Canada. She is also a researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Carolina is founder of Comunidades Vivas - Mapeamento Participativo, a knowledge hub that aims to boost social engagement through participatory mapping in the city planning.

Speaker: Jamie Bell

When: Dec. 13
Where: David Turpin Building B323 and Online
Time: 11-12.30pm PST

Online Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84560788324

Topic: In this upcoming presentation, we will explore how the OpenAI Researcher Access Program is being utilized to support and enhance community-driven participatory research in northern regions, specifically focusing on capacity building, youth leadership, and economic development. This presentation will outline how AI tools, including natural language processing and data analysis capabilities, are being leveraged to streamline research processes, improve community engagement, and facilitate decision-making in complex governance and development projects with communities that struggle with capacity. We will explore how AI can support efforts to rebuild non-profit and sectoral capacity, empower youth leadership, and drive economic diversification while addressing the challenges of resource development, legislative frameworks, and limited infrastructure.

This fun, and engaging session will introduce a group discussion on the pros and cons of AI in participatory research. We will critically examine the potential benefits of AI in enhancing accessibility, inclusivity, and scalability of community-driven initiatives, while also acknowledging the risks of dependency on external technology, data privacy concerns, and the potential for exacerbating existing inequities. By engaging participants in this discussion, we aim to deepen our understanding of AI’s role in reshaping community-based research and its implications for long-term sustainability in northern communities. Through this dialogue, we seek to explore ways AI can be harnessed ethically and responsibly to support the collective goals of community resilience, economic development, and cultural preservation.

Speaker Bio: A long-time advocate for community-based arts and research, Jamie’s work has focused on fostering stronger relationships through outreach and engagement. Jamie has worked with arts, media and communications for almost three decades across multiple sectors. His current arts and research is supported by the OpenAI Researcher Access Program.

Jamie is a founding member of the Art Borups Corners Collective. He was also a founding member of the highly-successful Arviat Film Society and Arviat Television with support from Isuma TV’s Digital Indigenous Democracy Project. His previous work includes  the ArcticNet-supported Inclusion in Northern Research project. His work has been featured in books and media ranging from TIME, CPAC, the Globe and Mail, Nunatsiaq News, CBC Igalaaq and CBC Radio North among many others. His work has been funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and Manitoba Arts Council. His work ranges from community-driven participatory arts to food security, community capacity building and climate change adaptation.