FEELed Lab Research Associates, “Fringe Natures” (3 positions/sessions)
Fringe Natures is the name of an occasional series of outdoor, in-person events that ask us to pay attention to who we are, where we are, and what the heck we think we are doing here! These gatherings are explicitly connected to specific places (here, on unceded syilx Land) and times (time of day, time of year) and draw on feminist, decolonial, anti-racist, crip and queer knowledges to think about related environmental questions. Fringe Natures gatherings are also forms of curious, accessible community building that invite whoever shows up to participate in some kind of low-stakes, gentle (and fun!) activity – e.g. walking, weeding, sketching, poetry-making, game-playing – that can initiate further contemplation about these questions.
You can learn more about previous Fringe Natures events here or read about them in the zine we made!
The FEELed Lab will host approximately 6 Fringe Natures sessions from September 2022 – May 2023. Three of these will be convened by Research Associates. A small materials budget (up to $100 per gathering) will be made available, but we also encourage the use of “ready-to-hand”, recycled and found materials! The FEELed Lab will also supply light snacks and tea for each event.
Fringe Natures research associates will receive a $400 honorarium for each session they convene. This honorarium will recognize the (approximate) contributions of time by the Research Associate for the following activities:
- Orientation, training, consultation (2 hrs)
- Research and design of event (5 hrs)
- Supported convening of the event (2 hrs)
- Composing a short “FEELed Notes” blogpost to document the event (2 hrs)
If you would like to convene one or more of these sessions, please send an email to the Director of the FEELed Lab at astrida.neimanis@ubc.ca that includes:
- which months you would potentially be available (October 2022-May 2023), noting any preferences
- one paragraph sketching your idea for a Fringe Natures event, including the possible theme and “low stakes” activity you might convene. (You do not necessarily have to stick with this idea. We will work with you to develop it, and we assume your research will result in new and additional ideas too. In this email we would simply like to get a sense of your proposal.)
- 1-2 paragraphs outlining any previous experience you have (e.g. courses you have taken, volunteer, paid or community work, convening events, etc) that might be relevant. This includes experience or interest in feminist, antiracist, decolonial, queer and accessible approaches to environmental issues.
We invite applications from all undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral or community researchers.
We will begin reviewing applications on September 15, 2022, but the call will remain open until all research associate positions are filled.
We hope that Research Associates for all of the above will contribute to the vibrancy of the FEELed Lab in other ways, such as participating in other events, attending and contributing to FEELed Lab Open Meetings, and suggesting or initiating other research that the FEELed Lab might support.
Additionally, the FEELed Lab may produce one or more collaborative publications in the coming year; Research Associates will be invited to contribute to these (see, for e.g., our collaborative zine produced in June 2023). Even if you choose not to participate in the preparation of these publications, your contributions will be acknowledged when we draw on your research in relation to the above.
The FEELed lab 