Please join us for this seminar as PhD Student Rithma Kreie Engelbreth Larsen shares some of her ongoing dissertation research.

As always, this CEH TALK is open to everyone and free to attend. Coffee and tea provided.

For more information about Rithma and her research, click here.

Abstract

This talk revisits the 1990s scholarly debate over the ‘Ecological Indian’, highlighting it as a pivotal moment in the history of Indigenous knowledge, particularly between North American anthropologists and conservation scientists. The debate unfolded around two opposing positions: one criticizing portrayals of Indigenous peoples as inherently conservationist, and the other defending the historical continuity and legitimacy of Indigenous ecological practices. Notably, critics often labeled the latter position as romanticized or essentialist, accusing its representatives of invoking the Ecological Indian trope. Rather than a simple dispute over historical accuracy, I argue that the debate centered on questions of epistemic legitimacy and narrative authority. By unpacking this exchange, the talk sheds light on both the historical roots and political function of this enduring trope, which continues to reverberate in contemporary conversations within the environmental humanities.