I’m excited to share two new book chapters published as part of a fantastic edited collection on the topic of gender and the social dimensions of climate change.
These two chapters provided a welcome opportunity to co-write with two talented researchers – Shefali Juneja Lakhina and Rachel Reimer, whose PhD research I have had the pleasure of supervising. They each bring depth, insight, care, and innovation to their research. Working with them continually reminds me of the value of collaboration, slow scholarship, diversity and interdisciplinarity.
Seeking Safe Refuge in Regional Australia: Experiences of Hazards
and Practices of Safety among Women from Refugee Backgrounds
In Chapter 2, Shefali and I explore how women from refugee backgrounds experience hazards and practice safety in order to seek safe refuge in regional Australia. This chapter is followed by a reflection by Sherryl Reddy based on her experience as a practitioner in the fields of international humanitarian protection, refugee resettlement and community development programs, and diversity and inclusion work.
Leadership in Mountain and Wildland Professions in Canada:
Examining the Impacts of Gender, Safety, and Climate Change
In Chapter 6, Rachel and I examine the impacts of gender, safety, and climate change in the context of leadership in mountain and wildland professions in Canada. This chapter is followed by a reflection by Alison Criscitiello based on her experience as a ice core scientist, high-altitude mountaineer and, in particular, her formative years as a US Climbing Ranger in the National Park Service.
You can access the chapters, along with the entire collection edited by Amber Fletcher and Maureen Reed, online or by contacting me directly.
More details about Chapter 2: Seeking Safe Refuge in Regional Australia: Experiences of Hazards and Practices of Safety among Women from Refugee Backgrounds
Drawing on empirical findings from the Illawarra region of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia, this chapter begins by problematizing notions of who belongs in the Australian landscape and whose narratives, experiences, and practices count, as Australia reckons with the unfolding climate crisis of the 21st century. The chapter shows how exploring these questions can help reveal the lived experiences and everyday practices of safety among women from diverse refugee backgrounds who resettle in regional and rural areas prone to climate-related hazards across Australia. In undertaking this analysis, the chapter goes beyond the task of situating differential vulnerabilities to highlight and understand transformative practices of care—for self and community. It seeks to demonstrate how an intersectional approach to climate research and policy can contribute to transforming social relations for safe refuge in the 21st century.
More details about Chapter 6: Leadership in Mountain and Wildland Professions in Canada: Examining the Impacts of Gender, Safety, and Climate Change
This chapter explores mountain and wildland environments as socially constructed masculine spaces where competence as a professional is linked to performing certain types of masculinity. The findings shared are from two studies conducted using a feminist appreciative approach to Action Research methods: A 2016 study amongst wildland firefighters in British Columbia, and a 2019 study amongst avalanche and guiding professionals in Western Canada. These professionals work in environments that are becoming increasingly risky due to climate change. The conflation of competence with masculinity is revealed to have negative impacts on wellbeing for all members of mountain and wildland professions, including harassment and discrimination, and increased suicide rates for cis-males. Notably, this includes negative impacts to team decision making, risk management, safety, and inclusion. Ultimately, the authors expose “masculinity as competence” to be a socio-cultural myth. While this myth is dominating the cultural discourse among professionals working in mountain and wildland environments at present, there is an emergent space for new culturally inclusive narratives in these environments.
Dr. Christine Eriksen 