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Call for Stories

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Volume 12   |  Double Issue
Winter 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere

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Deadline for Expressions of Interest:  Now Closed

Theme: “From Rights to Responsibilities: Toward a Biocultural Resurgence”

For this issue of Langscape Magazine, we ask some thought-provoking questions: Can we have rights without responsibilities? Is today’s predominant focus on rights distracting us from paying attention to the other side of the coin, our fundamental responsibilities toward one another and toward the earth? Can we achieve a biocultural resurgence — a renewed flourishing of life’s diversity in nature and culture — by claiming our rights alone? Or do we need to reconnect to an ethic of responsibility that once was the hallmark of human communities — whether Indigenous or not — all over the world?

The battle for the recognition of human rights, both individual and collective, has been long and hard-fought. Along the way, there have been many important milestones, from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which enshrined collective rights to self-determination, cultural and linguistic heritage, and land stewardship. More recently, many of the rights affirmed in UNDRIP have been conceptualized as “biocultural rights” — the inherent collective rights of communities to steward their lands, waters, and resources according to their own worldviews and customary laws. And the battle is certainly not over, especially for Indigenous Peoples and other historically oppressed and disenfranchised minorities.

Yet, after decades of struggles for individual and collective rights, it is vitally important to step back and wonder: What is the relationship between rights and responsibilities, and what respective roles do rights and responsibilities have in fostering a biocultural resurgence?

We’re eager to hear from Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons who wish to share ideas, reflections, and on-the-ground experiences on this theme. As always, we also welcome other ways of addressing the theme: storytelling, photo and video essays, postcard stories, poetry, artwork, and more.

Interested in contributing?

 

Submit your Expression of Interest below. Proposed stories can be in written and/or visual media: essays, short fiction, poetry, photo essays, videos, postcard stories, podcast scripts, music, spoken word, and artwork.

Please Note: Langscape Magazine is not an academic publication; we use a narrative or journalistic style. Read previously published stories for examples.

Stories are published in English but can be submitted in French or Spanish; we’ll translate them.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Yes? If you would like to contribute to the current theme of Langscape Magazine, please fill the Expression of Interest form on this page.

Or consider submitting your story to our Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle (IYSC)! It’s a project that offers Indigenous youth from around the world a special platform to make their voices heard. Check this page to find out how to send us your idea for an IYSC story.

Submission Guidelines: download and read before submitting your Expression of Interest.

Expressions of Interest

Expression of Interest form closed until 2023

Langscape Magazine has the generous support of the Reva and David Logan Foundation, LUSH Charity Pot, the Swift Foundation, and a major anonymous donor.