Crystal Tremblay

For more then a decade my work has focused on uncovering the complex and interwoven relationships between the environment and humans with a focus on governance, power, and equity. My work is community-based, participatory and action-oriented exploring such topics as indigenous innovation and environmental sustainability in Canada (ongoing), issues of (in)access and citizenship in water governance and sanitation with underserved communities in urban Ghana and South Africa, livelihood enhancement and inclusive waste management with recycling cooperatives in the Global South (ongoing), and advancing institutional structures in support of community university research partnerships. Through this work I have developed critical perspectives of environmental governance focusing on inquiries such as how participatory policy processes might help destabilize dominant power structures, which may then lead to enhancing livelihoods and environmental-social justice. My approach to this work also brings a bio-cultural lens, recognizing the intrinsic connection and dependency between culture and the environment.

 For the last five years, I have worked closely with the UNESCO Chair in Community-based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, co-leading multi-institution and multi-lingual global research projects in the area of engaged scholarship, transformative pedagogy and training in community-based research. Other recent work includes a co-edited book on global community university research partnerships (2015), and over 10 co-produced community films in multiple languages (Xhosa, South Africa; Ga, Ghana; Portuguese, Brazil).