Episode 29: Unraveling the Anthropocene Roundtable – Dr. Ranco, Anderson-Barbata, and Leyam-Fernández

Posted Date: June 17, 2021

Episode Description: This episode is a recording of the Unraveling the Anthropocene roundtable, our keynote event which was held on March 29 of 2021, in the context of the Comparative literature luncheon speaker series. Merve Tabur (LAC vice president) introduced the speakers and served as moderator. The event gathered over 50 attendees from various departments, who participated in an enriching Q&A session. The Q&A session was not recorded. During the event, speakers shared audiovisual materials with the audience. Visit our website to see some of those materials.

Guest Biographies (in presentation order)

Darren RancoDarren Ranco
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Coordinator of Native American Research, University of Maine

Dr. Darren Ranco will be presenting his work entitled “Wabanaki Climate Change Adaptation, Diplomacy, and Indigenous Science,” where he will discuss his collaborative work related to helping establish a climate change adaptation baseline and priorities with the Wabanaki Tribal Nations (Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, and Micmac) in what is now Maine. He will show how critical it is to include indigenous science and diplomatic traditions in this kind of research and knowledge mobilization.

Laura Anderson BarbataLaura Anderson Barbata
Artist, Writer, Educator, working on social justice performance and textile art

Laura Anderson Barbata will be discussing her project: “Ocean Calling,” a cross-disciplinary intervention and sculptural work created in collaboration with artists from the Caribbean diaspora and from Mexico. In her words, “Based on firsthand experiences, research and ancient wisdom, ‘Ocean Calling’ charts the physical and emotional relationship maintained with the life of our oceans and the urgent need for collective transformation.”

Melissa Leaym-Fernandez
Doctoral Candidate in Art Education, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Penn State University

Melissa Leaym-Fernandez discusses the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on bodies, intergenerational impacts, the need for stronger creative practices to strengthen resilience, and brain plasticity. Though not a cure, she believes art-making, creativity, and sustained engagement with the processes involved in making are methods to assist with thriving after ACEs.
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