CALL FOR PAPERS
for a special issue of Open Cultural Studies
POST-TRUTH AND INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN CANADA: MYTHS, MEDIA, AND REALITY

“Open Cultural Studies” (www.degruyter.com/CULTURE) invites submissions for a special issue entitled “Post-Truth and Indigenous Environmental Justice in Canada: Myths, Media, and Reality,” edited by Kamelia Talebian Sedehi (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) and Paula Wieczorek (University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, Poland).

DESCRIPTION

Indigenous peoples in Canada are often misrepresented in media, portrayed through colonial stereotypes of headdresses, teepees, and romanticized connections to nature. These reductive images persist, erasing the complexities of Indigenous identity and rendering them invisible when they do not conform. Media has been instrumental in perpetuating these biases, distorting public understanding and silencing Indigenous voices on critical issues like environmental justice.

Mainstream media often neglects or misframes environmental concerns affecting Indigenous communities, perpetuating stereotypes and erasing agency. Such misrepresentation, coupled with historical trauma and systemic injustices, intensifies what Suzanne Methot describes as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). The post-truth era, characterized by blurred facts and emotional misinformation, deepens these challenges, obscuring the essential role of Indigenous peoples in ecological preservation and land rights.

This call for papers invites scholars to explore the intersection of Indigenous identity, environmental issues, and media distortion in Canada, particularly through the lens of post-truth. Contributions may critically examine how media, fiction, and cultural texts misrepresent or silence Indigenous voices, as well as efforts to reclaim narratives.

Scholarly essays that explore such critical issues are welcome. Considering that the question of post-truth can be analysed from a great variety of perspectives, topics may include, but are not limited to:

· How can post-truth theories help us read beyond the surface level?
· How can post-truth help us understand the plights Indigenous peoples face in Canada in real life?
· How can social media blur the reality of Indigenous life?
· How do historical and contemporary media narratives shape public perceptions of Indigenous environmental justice?
· In what ways does post-truth discourse impact Indigenous-led environmental activism and land defense movements?
· How do Indigenous storytelling traditions challenge post-truth narratives and reclaim ecological knowledge?
· What role does settler colonialism play in perpetuating post-truth misinformation about Indigenous environmental issues?

We invite contributors to offer reflections and insights on the following suggested themes (and beyond):

· Media silence and distortion of Indigenous environmental issues.
· Stereotypes in fiction, non-fiction, and visual media.
· Psychological impacts of misrepresentation, including CPTSD.
· Indigenous resistance and narrative reclamation in media.
· Environmental issues as reflections of systemic injustices.
· Countering post-truth narratives with Indigenous perspectives.
· Intersections of environmental justice, Indigenous feminism, and media representation.
· Indigenous languages and epistemologies as tools for resisting post-truth discourse.
· Science denial, environmental racism, and their consequences for Indigenous communities.

Submissions can analyze various media, including documentaries, news reports, oral histories, and literature, using frameworks such as post-truth, post-colonialism, trauma studies, and environmental humanities.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions will be collected September 1 - October 31, 2025 via the online submission system at https://www.editorialmanager.com/culture/

Choose “Research Article: Post-Truth and Indigenous Environmental Justice in Canada" as the article type.

Before submission, authors should carefully read the Instructions for Authors, available at https://www.degruyter.com/publication/journal_key/CULTURE/downloadAsset/CULTURE_Instruction%20for%20Authors.pdf

All contributions will undergo critical peer review before being accepted for publication.

As a general rule, publication costs should be covered by Article Publishing Charges (APC); that is, be defrayed by the authors, their affiliated institutions, funders or sponsors. Authors without access to publishing funds are encouraged to discuss potential discounts or fee-waivers with the journal’s Managing Editor, Katarzyna Tempczyk (katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com), before submitting their manuscript.

Further questions about this thematic issue can be sent to Kamelia Talebian Sedehi (kamelia.talebiansedehi@uniroma1.it) or Paula Wieczorek (pwieczorek@wsiz.edu.pl). In case of technical problems with submission, please write to AssistantManagingEditor@degruyter.com

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