Deadline: 12/15/2022
Contact: Riham Ismail
Email: rihamismail@alumni.purdue.edu

Panel proposed at the 2023 ASLE + AESS Conference: “Reclaiming the Commons”

July 9-12, 2023 in Portland, Oregon

Environmental disasters along with lack of resources and global recession are increasingly rendering many parts of the globe inhabitable and forcing the displacement of billions of people. While large corporations and the global north – directly responsible for the climate crisis– refuse to take responsibility for the ecological breakdown, a narrative casting the blame on vulnerable and marginalized communities has been reemerging. In their attempt to “reclaim the commons” the far right has been reframing the climate crisis through the lens of race while calling for environmental cleansing.

By falsely accusing overpopulation, particularly of the global south, as mainly responsible for the climate crisis, members of the far right are using the issue to promote an ecofascist agenda. As Naomi Klein argues, ecofascism dictates racial hierarchy situating “white Christians at the top of the hierarchy, that animalizes and otherizes everyone else, as the justification for allowing those people to die”. Therefore, this interdisciplinary panel would explore but not limited to:

• The intersectionality of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and ecofascism with the climate crisis in literature, film, music, videogames.
• The wide spectrum of ecofascist ideologies and how they are promoted in literature, media, and pop culture
• Literature, media, and pop culture dealing with the gendered impact of climate change
• Literature, art, and climate activism
• Narrative about the environment and identity
• Racial immigration and the climate crisis

Please submit a 300-word proposal and a 100-word bio to Riham Ismail (rihamismail@alumni.purdue.edu) by December 15, 2022. Inquiries regarding presentation topics are welcome in advance of submission.

Posted on October 10, 2022