Symposium | Other ways of knowing: The intersection of art and science in Caribbean climate change research

How does one ‘know’ the Caribbean? ‘Knowing’ in a (post)colonial context has historically relied on a narrow and exclusive set of ways and methods of claiming ‘legitimate’ knowledge. To decolonize scientific research therefore means to interrogate the colonial roots of who can claim to know, according to whose and which terms. What implications does this interrogation have for understanding human and non-human experiences of climate change in the Caribbean from social science and humanities perspectives?

The event will kick off with a tour of the exhibition ‘Between a Dance and Sitting in a Chair‘ by artist and researcher Sharelly Emanuelson.

Program

• 14.00: Exhibition tour ‘Between a Dance and Sitting in a Chair’
• 14.15: Presentation Sharelly Emanuelson
• 14.30: Introduction Island(er)s at the Helm by Francio Guadeloupe
• 14.40: Presentation Wayne Modest
• 15.10: Online presentation Yina Jimenez Suriel via Zoom
• 15.40: Roundtable discussion with Sharelly Emanuelson, Charissa Granger, Aga Kus & Sony Jean
• 16.30: Q&A with audience
• 17.00: Drinks
• 18.00: End

Speakers

Dr. Francio Guadeloupe (project chair) will introduce the KITLV’s Island(er)s at the Helm research project. Tackling climate change has often been approached through the legal, economic, and technical frameworks. Francio will explain how he designed this project in order to facilitate research that allows climate adaptation to be explored through a holistic manner whereby technical and economic approaches can be complimented by cultural and social approaches.

Keynote speakers dr. Wayne Modest and Yina Jiménez Suriel will each critically reflect on ways to expand our understanding and approaches to how we come to know. Dr. Wayne Modest will discuss the challenges of transculturality, translation and transnationalism in how we claim to ‘know’ and exhibit knowledge. Yina Jiménez Suriel will discuss some of the tensions that often arise when science and art interact in the Caribbean context.

The event will conclude with a roundtable discussion, where invited researchers reflect on the challenges and successes they face in doing Caribbean centred research from humanities and social science perspectives. The roundtable features PhD researchers Sharelly Emanuelson and Aga Kus, as well as researchers Dr. Charissa Granger and Dr. Joseph Sony Jean. This conversation is moderated by dr. Francio Guadeloupe.

Exhibition

This event is taking place in context of Island(er)s at the Helm PhD researcher and artist Sharelly Emanuelson’s exhibition ‘Between a Dance and Sitting in a Chair’ at CBK Zuidoost, location SHEBANG, Amsterdam, from 3 October-24 November 2024.

In the exhibition Sharelly reflects on the Caribbean’s spirit of life – the warmth and cheerful island feeling. At the same time, she exposes the underlying layer of the consequences of colonialism on the islands, effects that continue to reverberate to the present. She shows this through themes such as language, ecology, dance or movement, education, poverty, trade and tourism. She also showcases the visual anthropology component of her PhD research in this exhibition and reflects on the tension that arises in ‘ways of knowing’ as an artist and academic researcher.

‘Between a Dance and Sitting in a Chair’ is Sharelly Emanuelson’ first mid-career solo exhibition. Between a ‘Dance and Sitting in a Chair’ is both the title of her latest work and an overview of her oeuvre. Through her work, she captures the essence of Caribbean life— the warmth and joyful island vibe—while simultaneously revealing the underlying impacts of colonialism on the islands, effects that persist to this day. The exhibition showcases Emanuelson’s evolution from a documentary maker to a versatile and autonomous artist, and explores themes such as language, ecology, dance or movement, education, poverty, trade, and tourism.

Island(er)s at the Helm research program

Island(er)s at the Helm is a five year research project funded by the Dutch Research Council. The project is based at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV-KNAW) and the University of St. Martin (USM). The project brings together researchers and societal partners based in at least nine different countries to employ a mixture of technical, traditional, and contemporary knowledge practices for studying climate change adaptation through a long-term perspective. This includes societal and research partners based in St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, Trinidad, the US Virgin Islands and the Netherlands.

Registration

Please register if you wish to attend this event: [email protected]

Venue

CBK Zuidoost, location SHEBANG, Amsterdam.