Rights of Nature: A new paradigm for ecological justice in India? March 2024 Batch
Articulations by indigenous and nature-dependent communities in India and other parts of the world challenge the fundamental tenets of Western thinking — that humans alone are possessed of rights and all the rest of the living world exists for human use. Many communities have lived with reciprocity, interdependence, and harmony with the rest of nature for centuries.
Rights of Nature calls for a radical shift in our way of thinking and relating with nature. It calls for understanding what this discourse would mean in the Indian context for the protection and conservation of our ecosystems.
Articulations by indigenous and nature dependent communities in India and other parts of the world challenge the fundamental tenets of Western thinking — that humans alone are possessed of rights and all the rest of the living world exists for human use. Many communities have lived with reciprocity, interdependence and harmony with the rest of nature for centuries.
Rights of Nature calls for a radical shift in our way of thinking and relating with nature. It calls for understanding what this discourse would mean in the Indian context for protection and conservation of our ecosystems.
- History of the Rights of Nature discourse in India and the rest of the world
- Indigenous worldviews and more-than human governance
- Overview and analysis of some critical cases emerging from the framework of the Alternative Transformation Format
- Apply ethical and philosophical insights to Rights of Nature environmental decision-making contexts.
The course will start with preparatory exercises to explore our relationship with our immediate surroundings. Each day will be based on a class discussion about the overarching ideas of that theme. 3 – 4 specific examples will be discussed in detail through a combination of documentaries/film clips, readings, and in a few instances, guest lectures.
All sessions are planned for in-person participation, so incorporating a hybrid format is not feasible.
Undergraduate research scholars, postgraduates and early career researchers (above 18) with interest in science, human-nature relationships, and environmental policy and law.
All interested participants need to fill out the application form. All participants are required to submit a short description of their specific motivation to join the certificate programme.
Course Content
(All sessions will start at 9 AM and end at 4:30 PM)
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 18 March 2024 | Crisis of environmental governance |
| 19 March 2024 | Worldviews and history of environmental ethics (Indigenous Worldviews) |
| 20 March 2024 | Earth jurisprudence, wild law, customary governance systems (More-than Human governance from India) |
| 21 March 2024 | Field Activity Spending a morning at Kaikondrahalli lake observing and immersing in nature. Trying to understand what’s around us as well as finding our connection with nature. In relation to it, understanding the social & environmental justice struggles and their relevance in policy changes. Rights of Nature: A contemporary overview
|
| 22 March 2024 | Policies, regulations, new approaches of thinking |
| 23 March 2024 | Radical alternatives and transformations Assessment Participants will be asked to submit a reflective essay by the end of the course to share their insights, learnings, reflections, and future actions. |
Timeline
Last date to apply
Announcement of results
Last date for fee payment
The decision of the evaluation committee will be final.
The participants will be awarded a certificate of participation after successful completion of the 6‑day training.
Resources
Course Faculty
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Harini Nagendra
Harini Nagendra is Director of the Research Centre at the University and leads the University’s Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability. Over the past 25 years, Harini has been at the leading edge of research — examining conservation in forests and cities of South Asia from the perspective of both landscape ecology and social justice.
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Kunal Sharma
Kunal has worked on issues of conservation and sustainability in the past. His primary learnings have revolved around interdisciplinary research on traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous people, mitigating negative human-wildlife interaction, practical sustainability action, small-scale restoration and impacts of tourism formerly with Keystone Foundation, Jungle Lodges and Resorts, GIZ, and Wildlife Trust of India.
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Seema Mundoli
What role does nature have to play in making cities more sustainable? How can we contribute to making the cities we live in more equitable? These are the questions that drive her current research interests. She enjoys exploring different aspects of urban sustainability along with students from the University and other institutions as they bring with them interesting questions and lenses through which to explore cityscapes. She is especially interested in making research accessible to a wider audience.
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Shrishtee Bajpai
Shrishtee is a researcher, writer, and activist working at the intersections of environmental justice, social justice, more-than-human governance, worldviews, and systemic transformations. She is a member of Kalpavriksh, an environmental action group in India. She helps in coordinating the Vikalp Sangam (Alternatives Confluence) process where her work revolves around research, documentation, and networking around alternatives.
Fee Structure
| INR 5900 | General |
|---|---|
| INR 1180 | Field Practice Organisation (FPO) associated with Azim Premji Foundation, including Azim Premji University |
Partial fee waivers are available for deserving research scholars.
Accommodation and other logistics
The course fee does not include accommodation. The University can arrange accommodation for 6 days at an additional cost.
- For non-shared rooms: INR 826 per day
- For shared rooms: INR 413 per day
Requests for accommodation must be made at the time of application. Alternatively, participants can make their own arrangements.
All other costs, such as travel to and from Bengaluru, local travel, stay and meals must be borne by participants.
All rates are inclusive of GST and relevant taxes.