Martin Hultman’s ‘masculinities and climate change’ talk cancelled

Martin Hultman’s talk on ‘Rivers, Rights and Masculinities’ has been cancelled after a family illness disrupted his plans to appear at Thrive cafe on Thursday (September 14),

The Swedish academic and author of 10 books published in seven languages on environmental politics and psychology was first due to appear in person, then online via his native Sweden – and now the talk has been cancelled until further notice.

Hosted by Friends of the River Cam, the event – subtitled ‘A Conversation with Martin Hultman’ – was due to address the question: “Are dominant industrial breadwinner and eco-modern forms of masculinities harming our rivers, nature and our planet?”

The study of masculinities considers the alarming trends being experienced in the world – including political, environmental, health and social crises – and points towards their gendered origins.

“I’ve never been to Cambridge and am looking forward to it for at least three reasons,” said Martin of his plan to visit the city. “One is of course to spend time with the Friends of the Cam and learn about their work with recognising the rights of the river. Two is to share knowledge about my own five-year research programme. Three is to connect with other scholars who are doing work on recognising the rights of nature.”

Martin is head of the global research network Center for Studies of Climate Change Denial (CEFORCED) at Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden, and is part of the management team for the international research project Empower All.

He added: “I will also say something about a forthcoming book which combines ecopedagogy with the rights of nature.”

Ecopedagogy is critical, transformative education intended to end socio-environmental injustices and the human dominance of nature, countering teaching that separates social and environmental violence, and distances us from the rest of nature.

Martin is co-author of the soon-to-be-published Ecopedagogy for Earth Rights: Co-Creating a Vibrant Culture of Peace, along with Nikolas Berg, Ingrid Berg and Hana Begovic.

The book looks forward to a sustainable relationship between humans and nature and says this can be achieved “partly by creating a sustainable planetary culture of peace in which it is a matter of course that ecosystems, too, have rights, and partly by developing our legal systems so that, in effect, it becomes illegal to destroy ecosystems”.

If required you can contact Friends of the Cam at contact@friendsofthecam.org.