Decolonize Futures Vol.2: Decolonization and the Environmental Crisis

2023 was the hottest year on record. It is no longer surprising to see the worsening situation of climate change. The environmental crisis extends beyond climate change. Human activities have caused the extinction of many species with an unprecedented speed, which is now called “sixth mass extinction.”

Behind the history of the environmental crisis, there are culture, politics, and economy that have justified and progressed the environmental destruction. Through colonialism, people and the nature in the colonized countries and regions are turned into an exploitable “thing” or “resource,” and such discourse justified the historical destruction of the ecosystem worldwide.

In Decolonize Futures Vol. 2 “Decolonization and the Environmental Crisis,” we organized interviews with scholars who criticize the colonialism lying beneath the environmental crisis and explore the possibility of alternative futures.

With Yoshihiro Nakano (Rikkyo University) and Eiko Honda (Aarhus University), we will deep dive into the topics including the history of the decolonization movements, the alternative futures through degrowth perspective, and the importance of pluralizing the narratives of history.

Issue 2: Decolonization and the Environmental Crisis
2023 was the hottest year on record. The worsening situation of climate change is no longer surprising. The environmental crisis extends beyond climate change. Human activities have caused the extinction of many species at an unprecedented speed, which is now called the "sixth mass extinction."

Behind the history of the environmental crisis are culture, politics, and economics that have justified and propelled environmental destruction. Through colonialism, people and nature in colonized countries and regions were transformed into exploitable "things" or "resources," and such discourse justified the historical destruction of ecosystems worldwide.

In Decolonize Futures Vol. 2 "Decolonization and the Environmental Crisis," we organized interviews with scholars who criticize the colonialism underlying the environmental crisis and explore the possibility of alternative futures.

With Yoshihiro Nakano (Rikkyo University) and Eiko Honda (Aarhus University), we will delve into topics including the history of decolonization movements, alternative futures through a degrowth perspective, and the importance of pluralizing historical narratives.

Edited by: Isao Sakai, saki・sohee
Publisher: Decolonize Futures
Written in: Japanese, English

About Decolonize Futures

“Decolonize Futures” is a ZINE project to open up the discussion of the deep history of colonialism and the need of decolonization in Japan and East Asia for the possibilities of plural futures. The project criticizes the historical violence and ongoing colonialism from political, historical, cultural, and activist perspectives to create a discursive space for decolonization in Japan and East Asia.

"Decolonize Futures" is a zine project that aims to initiate discussions on the profound history of colonialism and the necessity of decolonization in Japan and East Asia, thereby fostering the possibilities of plural futures. The project critiques historical violence and ongoing colonialism from political, historical, cultural, and activist perspectives, creating a discursive space for decolonization in Japan and East Asia.