In this episode I’m in conversation with Jasmine Isa Qureshi - a multimedia journalist, marine biologist, queer ecologist, award winning spoken word / published poet, writer and storyteller.
She writes and studies across ecology, conservation, trans / queer / muslim identity, politics and sociology.
Her work seeks to understand the systems by which we and nature have grown intertwined and apart, explore the intersections of identities, origins as queer, global majority folk, and provide alternative systems for our futures, by sparking discussions, thoughts and creating resources to make these as accessible as possible.
She is currently working on her first book.
“True intersectional learning must disrupt, take apart and dissect the system by which we learn and exist at the moment, and by doing that we then have to relearn through the cultural dialogues, and through the intersectional understanding, and through the learned behaviors and lived experience of indigenous people, people of colour, communities of minority, communities of grassroots organisations and social organisations.”
Jasmine facilitates and produces workshops, resources and seminars (Queer Ecologies, Storytelling, Decolonising Conservation and Futurisms in nature / society, and science communication) and has worked with corporations, grassroots organisations and institutions across the country.
She is Ambassador for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and Green Jobs for Nature, sits on the advisory committee for RSPB England, and currently works for grassroots rewilding organisation Wildcard as Communications lead.
We explore:
Personal identity and its connection to the natural world
Anthropocentrism and the Human vs nature binary
Queer Ecology and Queerness - perspectives and misconceptions
Colonialism and identity and the dismantling of colonial structures to envision inclusive and liberating systems.
Intersectionality and Global majority futurism
The necessity of community, interdependence, and the power of unlearning and renewal to craft liberating, inclusive futures free from systemic oppression.
Links
Jasmine Qureshi website
Jasmine Qureshi Instagram
Episode 90 - Jasmine Qureshi - On Identity, Normativity and Queer Ecology