Jennie Barron
Instructor, Peace Studies in School of University Arts and Sciences
Credentials:B.ArtSc - Honours (McMaster University), MES (York University) - Environmental Studies
Room O-123
Tel: 1.888.953.1133 Ext. 462
Bio
I hail originally from Ontario where I grew up in the 'burbs of London, cut my teeth at McMaster's Arts and Science programme in industrial Hamilton, landed in the BIG city (Toronto) for graduate school, and then fled to rural Grey County, on the shores of Georgian Bay, to house-sit a sheep farm, keep bees, and start a family. In 2001, a chance opportunity for a unique job in ecoforestry led my partner, Erik, and myself west to Nelson where he worked first for Herb Hammond at the Silva Forest Foundation and later for the Harrop-Procter Community Forest. Since moving west I have been engaged variously in college teaching, community development work, environmental activism and a lot of volunteerism and just plain Mom-ing to our two boys, Quinn (now 11) and Felix (8).
Areas of Academic Interest
I have always had a passionate intellectual interest in issues where social and environmental justice intersect, often constructively though sometimes with painful incompatibilities. My masters' research looked at social movement politics at the intersection of Aboriginal rights and environmental issues (specifically nickel mining, low-level flight testing) in the territory of the Labrador Innu. Representation and discourse in both popular media and activism fascinate me.
Currently, my interests in social and environmental justice meet in the garden; that is, in the realm of food security and food sovereignty, and the very big question of how best to feed the world. I can see everything from climate change to human rights to the meaning of childhood and the purpose of life in something as small as a seed. Let me tell you about it sometime...
A second major interest of mine is environmental education, particularly outdoor and experiential ed. Eleven years at summer camp in my youth led to working one summer as a guide for Project Canoe, taking inner-city kids to Temagami on canoe trips of 8-14 days. During university and grad school I developed high-school level environmental courses for two very different alternative schools in Hamilton and Toronto. Later I got involved in the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario, writing and guest-editing for their journal, presenting workshops and helping organize conferences.
In the past five years, I have found myself focusing less on "pristine" wilderness and more on understanding, restoring, and celebrating the complex natural-and-built environments where most people live, work and play - that is to say, cities.
Almost inadvertently I have become a gardener, mainly through taking the initiative to green up my kids' school grounds and establish an outdoor classroom for ecological and food-related learning at Central School in Nelson. (This forced me to learn how to garden, since everyone assumed I already knew!) I'm extremely proud that through our collective efforts, the parents, students, teachers, and staff at Central have spawned a growing local movement to see food gardens established at schools throughout the Kootenays.
Publications
Barron, J (2002) “Romancing the Other in Aboriginal Support Work” in Nation to Nation: Aboriginal Sovereignty and the Future of Canada (2nd edition), eds. John Bird, Lorraine Land and Murray MacAdam, Irwin Publishing (Toronto)
Barron, J. (2002) “Innu Support and the Myth of Wilderness” Nastawgan: Quarterly Journal of the Wilderness Canoe Association Vol.20, No. 1 (spring)
*Barron, J (2000) “The Politics of Solidarity: Representation and Articulation in Support of the Labrador Innu” Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, Volume 11(3)
Barron, J (1999) "Just-So Stories: Cultural Narratives and the Politics of Solidarity in Support of the Labrador Innu" Faculty of Environmental Studies Occasional Paper Series Volume 5 (1)
Barron, J (2001) “Miracle on Leslie St.” Undercurrents: Journal of Critical Environmental Studies Vol.11
Barron. J. (1998) “Shhhhh! Movement afoot! – Listening to Voices in the Grassroots” Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education Vol.10 No.1 (March/April)
Barron, J. (1998) “Nice Work If You Can Get It: A Serious Look at the Role of the Outdoor Guide” Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education Vol.9, No.6 (Jan/Feb)
Barron, J. (1998) "Community Logs: Westwind Forest Stewardship takes a non-profit approach to forest management in Muskoka" Alternatives Journal: Environmental Thought, Policy and Action Vol. 24 No.4 (Fall)
*Barron, J. (1996) "Wilma's Place: Organic Growth as Metaphor for Course Design" Journal of Experiential Education Vol. 19 No. 2 (August)
Barron. J. (1993) “The Greening of St Patrick’s” Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education Vol. 5, No.4 (June)
(* international peer-reviewed journals)
Hobbies and Interests
I love canoeing (especially canoe tripping), nordic skiing, singing, playing soccer and growing food. I get a kick out of playing Wii Rock Band with my kids, and out of just learning new things from them, like how to operate my ipod.
