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How Dr. Anita Girvan is creating inclusive spaces for environmental conversations

Assistant Professor believes in exploring diverse perspectives in their classroom

May 1, 2024

It was the allure of studying language and politics that changed Dr. Anita Girvan’s (she/they) academic path. During her time in Japan teaching English to high school students, Dr. Girvan began to explore the role of discourse and language in shaping societal and environmental perspectives.

“Initially, I was interested in completing a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language. But I soon became interested in how language and politics intersect to shape how we orient ourselves around social and environmental considerations,” says Dr. Girvan.

This led to a doctorate at the University of Victoria, where she examined the metaphor of the carbon footprint and its impact on political responses to climate change.

Then, in 2022, a perfect opportunity presented itself: a position in environmental justice and cultural studies at UBC Okanagan that enabled Dr. Girvan to delve into their two primary passions.

“At that point I held a cultural studies position, but had previously taught environmental studies, and my research and teaching were engaging COVID, climate change, racial justice and the role of metaphors and stories. So the position at UBCO seemed like a perfect fit.”

“The overarching goal [of the reading salon] is to foster solidarity among diverse groups, recognizing both the distinctness and interconnectedness of various struggles.”

Dr. Girvan also notes that the beauty of Syilx Okanagan land, with its lakes, mountains and opportunities to learn from and about Okanagan people further sealed their decision to join the university.

Upon joining the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Dr. Girvan started a reading salon called Black Feminist, and Coalitional Ecological Thought.

For Dr. Girvan, the reading salon encapsulates a revolutionary approach to environmental discourse by combining black feminist perspectives with ecological considerations, emphasizing the importance of coalition-building. It also seeks to redefine environmental conversations, ensuring that different perspectives are not only heard but that they inform shared commitments to ecological justice.

“While black feminism has a long history of being coalitional, the reading salon aims to break down silos within identity politics and to engage with decolonial movements. The overarching goal is to foster solidarity among diverse groups, recognizing both the distinctness and interconnectedness of various struggles.”

The first book the group began with is Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowing: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, which demonstrates the need to learn from and build coalitions across species and across human communities.

“It’s important to work collectively to have a richness of diverse perspectives on these sorts of issues.”

“I see the role of teaching and conducting research in a university setting—and beyond—as an opportunity for collective learning. We need to keep asking questions and remain humble. I value that the university can be a place for humility and learning, and not only mastery and colonial expertise.”

Rejecting a conventional hierarchical and Euro-Western approach in academia that favours the usual suspects and subjects of knowledge, Dr. Girvan embraces a model of humility, acknowledging the vastness of knowledge and the importance of continuous questioning, especially as a new learner of nsyilxcən.

In their 100-level cultural studies course, Dr. Girvan invites students to put on their “cultural studies goggles” to critically examine power dynamics and culture in everyday life. A third-year course in environmental justice explores the intersections of culture and knowledge production as they impact environmental issues.

Situating this learning in the context of Syilx land and structures of colonization is key and as a newcomer, Dr. Girvan has been gratefully reading articles and viewing talks by people like Dr. Jeannette Armstrong and Dr. Bill Cohen.

“It’s important to work collectively to have a richness of diverse perspectives on these sorts of issues. We need a transformative approach to education, especially given the complexities of issues like climate change and the local manifestations of wildfires as they impact different communities here in Syilx territory, where longstanding knowledges can inform approaches to these issues.”