Discussion board

Reflect and write approximately 2 paragraphs about at least 3 of the following prompts. Respond to at least one other post.

READ:

1. De la Cadena, Marisol, “Uncommoning Nature. Stories from the Anthropo-Not-Seen” (24 pages)
2. Todd, Zoe. “Indigenizing the Anthropocene” in Davis and Turpin, Art in the Anthropocene (241-254) (13 pages) – YOU ALREADY DOWNLOADED THIS BOOK IN WEEK 2

PROMPT:

1. De la Cadena speaks of the “Anthropo-not-seen” as a double challenge that affects 1. environmental justice movements claims on the state to stop extractivism, 2. The possibility of alliances among Quechua water protectors and non-indigenous environmental movements. These challenges have to do with the different ways in which western and indigenous cultures perceive the relation and the “being” (ontology) of humans and what we, westerners, call “nature”. Can you express that difficulty in your own words and what is your opinion about this?
2. How does the documentary Daughter of the Lake “animate” the landscape? How are both the human and the non-human given agency in this film?  How is “animation” and “agency” filmically represented?
3. Open-pit mining causes irreversible damage to the land. The excavations leave not only a “ruined land” as Rob Nixon might say, but no land at all. In the long run the effects of this destruction contribute to micro-climate changes. What are the challenges of scale and time that the filmmaker faces and how does he solve them? How impactful are these scenes for you?
4. How does Daughter of the Lake present the connection between racism, extractivism, and capitalism? Is this link represented convincingly, in your view?

Reflection paper # 2 

Write approximately 4 paragraphs responding to the following prompts:

1. De la Cadena speaks of the “Anthropo-not-seen” as a double challenge that affects 1. environmental justice movements claims on the state to stop extractivism, 2. The possibility of alliances among Quechua water protectors and non-indigenous environmental movements. These challenges have to do with the different ways in which western and indigenous cultures perceive the relation and the “being” (ontology) of humans and what we, westerners, call “nature”. Summarize this difficulty in your own words and discuss De la Cadena’s concept of “not only” as a possible grounds for an environmental justice alliance and the future of life.
2. Compare in how far the films 500 Years and Daughter of the Lake invite viewers to reflect on the growing realization that the conceptual (western, scientific, epistemological) separation between human and non-human life may not only be partially responsible for ecological catastrophe but also linked to colonial racism, capitalism, and dispossession. Where do they fall short/what do they – in your opinion fail to address? Explain your opinion.

LINKS TO FILM:

daughter of the lake (part1):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18N0xO9xm_n9hRS2AfXlow_4KEUmACkcs/view?usp=sharing

daughter of the lake (part 2):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vr8vTMxuNiP6_FamZeCzKwmdE6AQZpuR/view?usp=sharing

500 years:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ghmRpudLkgAdpENwKoWcJm5DvsuQs4De/view?usp=sharing