Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Constance (Connie) Russell, as we explore her research concerning animals and ecotourism. She’ll explain what draws herself and others to observe wild animals, such as whales and orangutans, and the ethical conundrums entailed therein. Throughout the interview, we’ll consider questions such as: What insights can ecotourism provide into animal and human cultures? Does ecotourism offer educational opportunities, or are such practices inevitably bound to wanton consumerism and neo-colonialism?
Later in the interview, we’ll discuss Connie’s recent scholarship on critical environmental education, language, voice, and representation as it relates to animals and “nature”. What does it mean, for example, when animal activists claim to speak for animals and their interests? Do declarations that activists are the “voice of the voiceless” promote non-human agency or erase the myriad ways animals communicate?
Connie Russell is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University.
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