A Habitable Future

Reflections on water governance and Indigenous sovereignty

Abstract

On June 15th, 2023, the Centre for Human Rights Research hosted Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos for a seminar on "When the land hurts: Indigenous feminism on suicide, environmental violence, and the struggle for inhabitability." Dr. Ansloos is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Health and Social Policy and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide at the University of Toronto. He is Cree and English and a member of Fisher River Cree Nation. In this seminar, Dr. Ansloos presented the results of his pilot study that links water insecurity and environmental degradation to higher suicide rates in First Nations communities (within Ontario).

This article is divided into two sections: an overview of Ansloos’ work and reflections on Ansloos’ call to “envision a life beyond the state.”