Accelerating Action for a sustainable future

In my new book project, “Contested Icescapes, Land, Politics, and Change on an Arctic Agricultural Frontier,” I explore how marginal Arctic land is being imagined as a new frontier for agriculture under climate change, and what the implications are for rural and Indigenous lands, livelihoods, and governance. In this talk, I will discuss a chapter of the book that examines the political history of agriculture in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and its development alongside recent climate crises in the territory. Drawing on ethnographic research between 2021-3, I will discuss how Sambaa K’e First Nation and Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation are transforming agriculture from a settler-colonial tool of assimilation into an exercise of Indigenous sovereignty. How do these Dehcho First Nations communities make meaning of and assert authority over colonial projects? And what are the possibilities of climate adaptation more broadly, if we recognize Indigenous sovereignty in syncretic land use practices?

Please join us for a convening on the Endangered Species Act that will explore the Act’s successes and challenges over the past 50 years and its future directions. This unique event will bring together scholars, policymakers, and conservationists to assess lessons learned and propose innovative strategies for the next 50 years.

Registration is now open. Please register soon because space is limited.

Harvard community members can register for this free appetizer and mocktail demonstration and reception featuring Chef Mario Marini, ALMA, The School of Italian Culinary Arts.

Sabine R. Huebner is a professor of ancient history at the University of Basel in Switzerland whose project at Harvard Radcliffe Institute aims to craft a groundbreaking monograph on third-century Roman Egypt, exploring the dynamic interplay of climatic shifts, political upheavals, and socioeconomic transformations during a pivotal era. Drawing on a rich tapestry of sources—including literary works, papyri, numismatics, epigraphy, and a variety of paleoenvironmental proxies—this ambitious study seeks to unveil new insights into the complexities of this transitional period in one of the Roman Empire’s critical regions.