ANTONIO LÓPEZ

Bridging ecojustice and media education

Presentation for Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas

CMLCA2020: “Ecojustice and Decolonization with Ecomedia Literacy.” Oct. 18, 2020

Here is a video recording of the presentation I made (along with Jeff Share and Theresa Redmond) for the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas.

Title: Ecojustice and Decolonization with Ecomedia Literacy

Overview:

In the interest of decolonizing media education, we aim to bridge the gaps that emerge from the academic silo-ing of content areas; media educators who neglect the importance of the climate crisis that is affecting everything and everyone (but not equally) and environmentalists who fail to recognize the need to teach people to think critically about the information and media we are dependent upon. This work is inspired by Antonio Lopez’s groundbreaking book “Greening Media Education” and the work of activists across the globe who are combing these fields in innovative ways.

We will discuss work we wrote, supported, and published this year as co-editors in a joint issue of the Journal of Sustainability Education and the Journal of Media Literacy. We look at various approaches that include rethinking content and pedagogy to challenge the ideologies of domination, extraction, and injustice. The intersections of the multiple crises of a global pandemic, increasing economic inequality, racism and rampant police abuse of BIPOC, and a heating planet are all connected. We address the myths of universal vulnerability and universal responsibility because we are not affected equally and we are not all equally to blame. The inequalities and injustices require media educators to abandon the illusion of neutrality and embrace the importance of critically questioning the intersections of social and environmental justice.

Participants will emerge with insight and awareness of the vital importance of recognizing and responding to ecological concerns and advocating towards environmental justice through critical media literacy education.

Abstract:

Sharpen your insight and awareness of how media and technology impact the planet and people through this timely panel that addresses the essential need for a fully reciprocal attention to the climate crisis in the fields of media education and sustainability.

References (for my portion of the talk):

Demos, T. J. (2017). Against the anthropocene: Visual culture and environment today. Sternberg Press.

Gómez-Barris, M. (2017). The extractive zone: Social ecologies and decolonial perspectives. Duke University Press.

López, A. (2021). Ecomedia literacy: Integrating ecology into media education. Routledge.

Nixon, R. (2011). Slow violence and the environmentalism of the poor. Harvard University Press.

Parikka, J. (2015). A geology of media. University of Minnesota Press.

Yusoff, K. (2018). A Billion black Anthropocenes or none. University of Minnesota Press.

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