Subjects of Intergenerational Justice: Indigenous Philosophy, the Environment and Relationships

This book challenges mainstream Western IEJ (intergenerational environmental justice) in a manner that privileges indigenous philosophies and highlights the value these philosophies have for solving global environmental problems. It examines the deep ontological rifts between the philosophies that inform Māori and Aboriginal intergenerational justice and those of the West and explores how we relate to time and across generations to create regenerative IJ.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book offers a groundbreaking exploration of intergenerational environmental justice (IEJ) that challenges the dominant Western perspectives and emphasizes the significance of indigenous philosophies in addressing global environmental challenges. Divided into three comprehensive parts, the book begins by examining the framing of Western liberal environmental, intergenerational, and indigenous justice theories, as well as decolonial theory. The second part delves into contemporary Māori and Aboriginal experiences of values-conflict in encounters with politics and law, highlighting the deep ontological rifts between their philosophies and those of the West. It explores the ways in which existing Western IEJ theories, such as distributional, communitarian, human rights-based, and the capabilities approach, fail to adequately address the specific obligations and duties of Māori and Aboriginal iwi and clans.

In the third and final part, the book explores the concept of time and its relationship across generations in order to foster regenerative IEJ. It challenges the traditional understanding of time and posits that robust conceptualization of IEJ emerges through our human-to-human, human-to-nonhuman, and nonhuman-to-human relationships. This volume presents an envisioning of IEJ that accounts for indigenous norms on indigenous terms and explores how this can be applied in national and international responses to climate change and environmental degradation.

By highlighting the invisibility of indigenous knowledge and challenging the colonizing assumptions of mainstream justice theory, this book provides valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and activists working towards environmental justice and sustainability. It offers a fresh perspective that recognizes the importance of indigenous wisdom and values in addressing the pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Weight: 403g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367563776