Synthesis of the 2023 symposium of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy
The theme of “Plants & animals in the environmental philosophies of Asia” framed the 2023 Online Symposium of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy that took place on November 2-3, 2023. We discovered the work of 19 presenters, most of them new to the network, working on diverse regions and traditions in Asia, from Indonesia to China. Over 160 participants registered to the zoom, and around 20-30 people participated in each session. Presentations from diverse regions in Asia made us explore various perspectives on plants and species, ranging from philosophy to law and activism.
One of the themes that animated our vivid discussions was the gap between the practice of sciences that measure and quantify aspects of environmental realities through technologies and instruments, and the actual narratives, sensitivities and worldviews of the people experiencing these realities. While the former attempts to modelize and capture comparable aspects such as “monetary value”, the latter is confronted with philosophies of “co-existing” with “boundless” grassroot existences sometimes tied to the sacrality of soil and waters. In our network, we conceive Asian environmental philosophy to include Asian traditions of thought as well as grassroots perspectives on environmental issues in Asia. In this sense, environmental philosophy in Asia could contribute to building bridges across this gap.
Prompted by the theme of this 2023 symposium on plants and animals, another recurrent question was how to listen to the voices of the “voiceless”, be they marginalised human beings, unheard traditions, or plants and animals themselves. This question raised issues of power, resistance and conflicts. Finding ways to bridge the gap between sciences and grassroot philosophies could pave the way for more inclusion of largely muted voices in the science-policy interface on environmental issues.
Moving towards more culturally inclusive science-policy interfaces on environmental issues implies interrogating concepts and keywords used in environmental governance, such as the idea of “nature”. The first collective paper of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy titled “Conceptualizations of Nature in East and South-East Asia” constitutes a step in this direction. It explored the question of what is included in the ideas of “nature” across different languages and worldviews.
The very concepts of “plants” and “species” are also quite flexible across disciplines, cultures and languages. During this 2023 symposium, we approached the challenge of how to categorise (living) beings. A multiplicity of categorization criteria were evoked in different presentations, including fecundity, language, intentionality, intelligence, life, harmfulness, as well as life and death.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to making the exchanges so fruitful. We hope to continue to meet virtually with motivated people to develop common projects and keep on learning from each other. (If you are interested in joining us, get connected).
The 2022 NAEP Online Symposium Organisation Team: L. Droz, J. D. Imbong, R. Jannel, O. Komatsubara, C.M. Lagasca-Hiloma, Dipanwita Pal, S. Nagarajan, J. C. Ryan.
Program, Booklet of abstracts, Call for Papers
Theme 2023: Plants & animals in the environmental philosophies of Asia
Environmental philosophy explores the ways we, humans, relate to the environment. The environment, or “Nature”, encompasses a large variety of elements, including plants and animals. In Asia, diverse worldviews, traditions, philosophies and grassroots perspectives approach plants and animals through different categories, conceptualizations and narratives. This symposium aims to support exchanges on this diversity to foster dialogue towards sustainable solutions.
Booklet of abstracts of the 2023 Online Symposium of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy
Become a member of the Network
Call for Papers – CLOSED
2023 Online Symposium of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy
Dates: November 2-3 (no conference fee, participation is free)
Theme: Plants & animals in the environmental philosophies of Asia
Environmental philosophy explores the ways we, humans, relate to the environment. The environment, or “Nature”, encompasses a large variety of elements, including plants and animals. In Asia, diverse worldviews, traditions, philosophies and grassroots perspectives approach plants and animals through different categories, conceptualizations and narratives. This symposium aims to support exchanges on this diversity to foster dialogue towards sustainable solutions.
The NAEP 2023 Online Symposium welcomes contributions from scholars, practitioners and stakeholders on a broad range of aspects within Asian worldviews, including but not limited to:
- Conceptualizations of plants and animals in Asia
- Narratives, stories and artforms about animals and plants in local knowledge practices
- Traditional ecological knowledge of local and indigenous communities
- Embodied knowledge of plants and animals
- Sustainable sociocultural practices related to plants and animals
- Biocultural networks and heritage forms
- Ecofeminism
- Zoosemiotics and phytosemiotics
Early- and mid-career scholars are especially encouraged to send proposals.
We welcome abstracts for individual presentations, panels, online posters and workshop proposals. Please submit your 200-250 words abstract by filling up the form (including your name, affiliation and contact information) by September 1st 2023 (extended from previously July 31st 2023). If you encounter any difficulties, please send us an email to asiaenviphilo@gmail.com.
Language: The primary language of the conference is English. We aim to be non-native friendly, so we make it a rule that we speak slow and accessible English. If you would like to present in a language other than English, please contact us.
Organisation: Orika Komatsubara, Laÿna Droz, Dipanwita Pal, Duy Hung Nguyen, Concordia Marie Lagasca-Hiloma, Jerry D. Imbong, John C. Ryan, Sethunarayanan Nagarajan, Romaric Jannel.
About the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy (NAEP)
The Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy (NAEP) was founded by a group of scholars in the field of environmental philosophy in Asia in 2019 with the goal to support works related to environmental philosophy within Asian traditions of thoughts broadly conceived or related to grassroots perspectives on environmental issues in Asia. Visit our website: www.asiaenviphilo.com
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