The international conference on Environmental Humanities in the Anthropocene Era: Ecojustice and Sustainability, hosted by Fazl Ali College (FAC), began on 4 October at the FAC Auditorium. This two-day conference is a collaborative effort between the Department of English and the Department of Geography at FAC, in partnership with the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE India) and LEMSACHENLOK, Longleng.
During the conference’s inaugural program, Prof Jagadish K Patnaik, Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University, Lumami, and Guest of Honor, praised FAC for being the first college in the state to propose this theme. He emphasized that institutions and organizations, not just the government, must take responsibility for environmental transformation. Prof Patnaik expressed hope for meaningful resolutions to emerge from the conference.
Professor Jagadish asserted that all individuals are intricately linked to the overarching theme. He pondered whether “we assume the roles of victims or perpetrators, whether we exercise dominion over nature or succumb to its influence.” He further remarked that, under the banner of science, “we engage in interventions, yet remain uncertain of the extent of our capabilities.”
The keynote address was delivered by Prof Murali Sivaramakrishnan, Founder & President of ASLE India. He discussed how in a relatively short time frame of human existence, our population growth and rapid industrial development have disrupted the ecological balance, leading to our dominance over nature and the emergence of the “Anthropocene Era.” Despite this, our cultural connection with nature remains largely unchanged. Prof Sivaramakrishnan’s talk aimed to address ongoing environmental exploitation and proposed exploring non-violent alternatives to prevailing scientific and developmental ideologies. He stressed the need to reconcile economics and ecology and recognize alternative paradigms for development and ecojustice.
Dr Lanurenla, an Associate Professor and member of the Organizing Committee for ICEHAE 2023, chaired the program, while Dr I Wati Imchen, Principal of Fazl Ali College, delivered the welcome address.
The conference’s focus is on multidisciplinary methodologies and approaches to understanding ecojustice and sustainability concerning human interventions, both positive and negative. It will featured keynote speeches by distinguished scholars and experts from India and abroad.
On the first day of the conference, LH Thangi Mannen, Rtd. Commissioner and Secretary and Vice Chairperson of FST, as well as a member of FCAPP, spoke on “Sustainable Living and Community Engagement.”
Prof Ashalata Devi from the Department of Environmental Science at Tezpur University discussed “Biodiversity Conservation: A Challenge in the Anthropocene.” Y Nuklu Phom, Team Leader at LEMSACHENLOK Longleng, delivered a talk on “Towards MissioEcology,” while Dr Pankaj Thapa, a Freelance Academician and Researcher from Kanglung, Bhutan, presented “Bhutan’s Environmental Achievements, Challenges, Opportunities, and Novelty (BEACON): Perspective from Environmental Humanities.”