Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
this occurred as a visualization of the Salish Sea (see Rose-Redwood, 2011), which
was used for 20 years by environmental groups and Indigenous communities, prior
to the official naming of the Salish Sea in the records of Canada and the United
States (Tucker, 2013; Norman, 2013). Counter-mapping was also used for the
creation of the British Columbia Treaty groups mentioned above (Sparke, 1998;
Thom, 2010) and is integral to the processes of creating - and sustaining - the
Coast Salish Gatherings.
Social media is another tool used in the counter-mapping project to virtually
rescale regions. Digital platforms help share information, unify voices, and build
momentum for collective causes. This is noteworthy particularly for the younger
generation who are able to navigate sophisticated technologies, while promoting
shared causes - most notably, language revitalization and environmental causes.
In several cases presented in this topic, Indigenous communities - particularly
in the Salish Sea, the Great Lakes, and the Yukon River - employ digital media
and shared platforms to aid in environmental protection activities. Digital platforms
afford the opportunities for Indigenous communities to advance their goals through
participation in virtual platforms that are not bound by nation-state frameworks.
Rather the “boundlessness” of digital platforms contributes to a virtual rescaling,
which is likely to contribute to goals of self-determination and empowerment.
The use of collaborative media platforms can also be very empowering for those
in rural, remote, and isolated communities where a sense of “connectedness” to
the outside world has in times past led to feelings of desperation and isolation. In
communities where many of the ills that are facing them are from outside sources
(extraterritorial pollution, poverty due to limited opportunities, global climate
change) it is quite easy to be overwhelmed with helplessness. However, being
connected - even virtually - can contribute to a sense of being. This “virtual
rescaling” can be powerful, as it transcends a nation-state framework (and in essence
is counter-hegemonic).
Conclusions and reflections
In this chapter, I have introduced some of the key concepts that ground and
influence this work. I suggest that looking at the colonial legacies of border-making
can help refine critical assessment of transboundary water governance. In particular,
I suggest that bringing together works in border studies, environmental governance,
and the politics of scale helps to understand the underlying power dynamics and
social and political constructions of water governance. Lastly, I suggest that looking
at discursive strategies (such as creating counter-narrative) helps to untrench the
daily influences of colonial boundaries that are often unseen by the uncritical eye.
Insights from postcolonial theory and feminist geography and the application of
performance theory, critical cartography, and counter-mapping can help with these
decolonizing practices. Ultimately, this chapter provides a rationale for closer
attention to the cultural politics of the border and how these politics influence
transboundary water governance practices and policies.
 
 
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