Lake as Body: The Language of Animacy by Activists at the Great Salt Lake
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
As global climate change accelerates worldwide, dominant political, economic, and scientific frameworks treat water as a passive resource instead of a relational entity and co-creator of human-environment relationships. The Great Salt Lake is desiccating due to consumptive water use and climate change impacts, and faces ecological collapse as soon as 2030. This research project examines how environmental activists at the Great Salt Lake use language of animacy and kinship metaphors to co-construct relationships with the lake. I ask: What do activists at the Great Salt Lake identify as their reasons for their shift in language towards language of animacy? How do activists perceive the influence of their use of language of animacy when referring to the Great Salt Lake on human-lake and human-ecosystem relations? I use a mixed-methods approach including photovoice, participatory mapping, and semi-structured interviews to understand the social, cultural, and emotional implications of this language of animacy. Drawing on ecofeminist and material feminist theories, this research contributes to broader literature on how language shapes environmental meaning-making, relational ethics, and environmental action. I demonstrates that language of animacy functions not only as a communicative strategy but also as a relational practice that shapes responsibility, care, and belonging in the context of an environmental crisis.
Mentor Name
Margiana Petersen-Rockney
Lake as Body: The Language of Animacy by Activists at the Great Salt Lake
UC 326
As global climate change accelerates worldwide, dominant political, economic, and scientific frameworks treat water as a passive resource instead of a relational entity and co-creator of human-environment relationships. The Great Salt Lake is desiccating due to consumptive water use and climate change impacts, and faces ecological collapse as soon as 2030. This research project examines how environmental activists at the Great Salt Lake use language of animacy and kinship metaphors to co-construct relationships with the lake. I ask: What do activists at the Great Salt Lake identify as their reasons for their shift in language towards language of animacy? How do activists perceive the influence of their use of language of animacy when referring to the Great Salt Lake on human-lake and human-ecosystem relations? I use a mixed-methods approach including photovoice, participatory mapping, and semi-structured interviews to understand the social, cultural, and emotional implications of this language of animacy. Drawing on ecofeminist and material feminist theories, this research contributes to broader literature on how language shapes environmental meaning-making, relational ethics, and environmental action. I demonstrates that language of animacy functions not only as a communicative strategy but also as a relational practice that shapes responsibility, care, and belonging in the context of an environmental crisis.