Reading List

reading (etc) list

Below is an inexhaustive and ever-expanding list of papers and articles that I have found helpful throughout my process of decolonizing my science and striving towards enhancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of my space at Duke. For a list of DEI events at Duke's Nicholas School, see this link.

Decolonization of Ecology

Decolonization is the practice of "actively undoing [colonial] systems and ways of thinking" (Trisos et al 2021). Decolonization is not a metaphor or a stand-in for other diversity, equity, and inclusion work (Tuck & Yang 2012); it specifically centers on acknowledging and dismantling the history, present, and future of settler colonialism in our own scientific work. Decolonization cannot only happen "in the mind"; it must be an action in the world to unwork the harms of settler colonialism. That being said, these are some good places to start:

For a solid overview of decolonization and how it is distinct from other social justice, equity, and inclusion efforts, as well as a list of common "moves to innocence" that occur when we metaphorize decolonization: Tuck, K.W., and Yang, E. 2012. Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. 1(1):1-40.
A call for decolonization of geosciences that can easily be read for decolonization of ecology as well: M. Liboiron. 2021. Decolonizing geoscience requires more than equity and inclusion. Nature Geosciences 14, 876–877.
For an excellent working list of steps that we as ecologists can take to decolonize our science: Trisos, C. H., J. Auerbach, and M. Katti. 2021. Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology. Nature Ecology & Evolution 5:1205–1212.
On the dismantling of impermanent and extractive scientific practices: Asase, A., T. I. Mzumara-Gawa, J. O. Owino, A. T. Peterson, and E. Saupe. 2022. Replacing “parachute science” with “global science” in ecology and conservation biology. Conservation Science and Practice 4:e517.
On returning references to Indigenous toponyms as a decolonizing practice. Nna, O. U. 2015. Decolonizing place-names: Strategic imperative for preserving indigenous cartography in post-colonial Africa. African Journal of History and Culture 7:180–192.

Eugenics: A Dark History of Ecology and Statistics

When I first began studying ecology, I had no idea how much both ecology and statistics are intertwined with the history of the eugenics movement in the United States.

Sarah Nason's 2018 Rapid Ecology article: "Madison Grant and the Eugenics History of Biodiversity Conservation".
Aubrey Clayton's 2020 Nautilus article: "How Eugenics Shaped Statistics: Exposing the damned lies of three science pioneers".
Raphael Sonabend's 2021 Medium article: "Statistics, Eugenics, and Me: A personal reckoning of my failure to acknowledge the origins of my field."

Land Acknowledgement & Action

See this page for more information on my Land Acknowledgement journey.

Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy's online presentation, "What Good is a Land Acknowledgement".
Sicangu CDC guide on land acknowledgement. [link]
Native Governance Center’s guide [link] and explainer video [link] on land acknowledgements, as well as their 2019 Indigenous Peoples’ Day panel [video].

The "Global South"

Dados, N., and R. Connell. 2012. “The Global South.” Contexts 11(1):12–13.

The use of the phrase “Global South” marks a shift from a focus on development or cultural difference toward an emphasis on geopolitical power relations... It references an entire history of colonialism, neo-imperialism, and differential economic and social change through which large inequalities in living standards, life expectancy, and access to resources are maintained. (Dados & Connell 2016)

INTERSECTIONALITY, FEMINISM, & ENVIRONMENTALISM

Intersectionality, first coined by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, describes the need to not only address specific marginalized pieces of a person's identity (specifically Black womanhood) but to understand that the combination of these two or more identities compound to create a unique situation of marginalization, violence, and oppression. I don't pretend to be any sort of expert on this topic, but here are a few resources that I am working my way through to self-educate and do better.

Kimberle Crenshaw's foundational paper on intersectionality: Crenshaw, K. 1989. Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. The University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989: Iss. 1, Article 8.
Leah Thomas's incredible book covering the necessity of viewing all environmentalist issues and solutions with an intersectional lens. This book is a great primer and resource for other work on the subject, and also provides tangible next steps forward. The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet.
Idahosa, G. E., and Z. Mkhize. 2021. Intersectional Experiences of Black South African Female Doctoral Students in STEM: Participation, Success and Retention. Agenda 35:110–122.
Jaga, A., B. Arabandi, J. Bagraim, and S. Mdlongwa. 2018. Doing the ‘gender dance’: Black women professionals negotiating gender, race, work and family in post-apartheid South Africa. Community, Work & Family 21:429–444.
Poor, E. E., M. A. Imron, R. Novalina, L. J. Shaffer, and J. M. Mullinax. 2021. Increasing diversity to save biodiversity: Rising to the challenge and supporting Indonesian women in conservation. Conservation Science and Practice 3:e395.

Discrimination and Accessibility in Field work

Arnold, C. 2022, June 6. The sting of sizeism in the scientific workplace. Nature 606.

(ANTI-)Racism in ecology & Science

In October 2022, the publication Nature published a special issue entitled Racism: Overcoming science's toxic legacy. Here are some pieces that stood out to me (an evolving list).

Computer science has a racism problem: these researchers want to fix it. "Black and Hispanic people face huge hurdles at technology companies and in computer-science education in the United States, with far-reaching consequences for science and all of society... Structural racism in academia hinders the nation’s ability to deal with some of its biggest challenges. To remedy or even mediate tech’s diversity problem, academics and stakeholders must first acknowledge and then confront bias in all aspects, from university admissions to recruitment, hiring and promotion."