2025 Theses Doctoral

Youth Reclaiming Environmental Narratives and Identities through Postcolonial Intersectional Environmentalist Digital Activism for Environmental Justice

Aziz, Tasnim

Through critical autoethnography, bricolage, and action research approaches, this qualitative study examined how high school students engaged in/with environmental justice through digital activism while reflecting on their personal identities and environmental science education.

This novel research created space to nurture the interrelationships among intersectionality, youth climate action, environmental justice (EJ), science education, and digital activism. Furthermore, it included the researcher’s autoethnography to share her process of reclaiming her identities and narratives. The data was analyzed using postcolonial and intersectional environmentalist frameworks.
During ten sessions of virtual after-school meetings, the participants learned about the 17 principles of EJ and intersectional environmentalism. We examined colonial narratives in environmental science, with a particular focus on BIPOC communities.

Furthermore, the intersectional environmentalist framework enabled us to critique how diverse identities were represented in environmental science and EJ digital activism. The purpose of this study was to support youth in creating an environmentally just society while deepening their scientific understanding and identity development. Furthermore, it provided teachers with insights on creating more inclusive and just science classrooms.