Tales from the Field: Indigenous-Led Pathways to Technological Stewardship

• In Event: Engineers: Makers of the World or Cogs in the Machine? - II: Engineers, Local Knowledge and Sustainable Communities

Abstract

This case study explores the nature of meaningful collaboration between Indigenous peoples and socially committed engineers in the pursuit of building the concept of ‘Technological Stewardship,’ which we define as behavior that ensures technology is used to make the world a better place for all – more equitable, inclusive, just, and sustainable. The case study leverages a workshop undertaken in Ontario, Canada, organized by the Engineering Change Lab and Trent University’s Indigenous Environmental Institute to share multiple, alternative narratives of the meaning and use of technology from across academic disciplines, Indigenous Knowledges, and theoretical lenses. Collectively, our narratives examine the dynamic tensions inherent in reflecting together about understandings, uses, and practices of technology in contexts shaped by pressing economic imperatives, where collaborative and reciprocal relationships are key to technological stewardship. A common theme among these narratives is the search for alternatives to traditional western approaches to the understanding and use of technology. Collectively, our aim is to name and characterize the key strands of a tapestry of shared understandings that can help us reach a revitalized concept of the meaning, nature, and direction of ‘Technological Stewardship’. This tapestry invites us to think together how to build a space between the Indigenous and Western thought worlds, in ways that resonate within our own experiences towards a collective, inclusive, and holistic understanding of the concept of Technological Stewardship.

Authors

• Marisol Campos-Navarrete, Trent University

• Mark Abbott, Engineering Change Lab

• Arlene Williams, Engineering Change Lab

• Melanie Goodchild, University of Waterloo

• Dan Longboat, Trent University

• Taylor Wilkes, Indigenous Environmental Institute, Trent University