Rethinking Climate Change and Anthropocene From the Complex Human and Non- Human Relations in Indigenous Regions

Abstract (English)

Critical climate change and ecological concerns have affected humans and the environment all over the globe. With the excessively hot and cold weather, shortening of natural seasons, wildfire, glaciers melting, suffocation of rivers and other natural water bodies due to mining and industrial and medical waste, landslides, biodiversity loss, degradation of agricultural land, loss of food and fodder for animals; logging, along with untimely drought and flood, the climate change has become a stark reality. The damaging human intervention started with industrialization and has become intense in the market-oriented capitalist society.

This panel explores ‘rethinking’ anthropology, focusing on the deep interconnectedness between humans and other-than-human worlds. We aim to remap human-non-human interactions across various Indigenous cultures, which shape, reshape, and transform environments and Humanity.
Inspired by multi-species and ecosystem-based approaches, we will examine the often overlooked interrelations between humans and other-than-human elements in Indigenous cultures. This includes subjects such as forests, grasslands, glaciers, soil, rocks, air, belief systems, knowledge cultures, and natural resource management, which are intricately intertwined with human social worlds.
Through transdisciplinary fieldwork, we aim to discover innovative ways of practicing anthropology in Indigenous environments that fully engage with the more-than-human world while recognizing the importance of social, economic, and symbolic structures.

We invite papers based on ethnographic and historical research to unravel the complexities of human-other-than-human interactions in indigenous cultures and unearth the boundaries of humans. This panel aims to offer fresh perspectives on anthropological research in an era where environmental challenges and global interconnectedness demand innovative approaches to understanding and addressing the intricate dynamics of our world.