Sean O'Rourke
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I am doing this research for two reasons. First, I am interested in the connection between narratives, worldviews, and decision-making, and how this shapes how we relate to our environments. One of the defining characteristics of the culture in which I was raised is a view that people are separate and disconnected from the lands, water, animals, plants, and other elements of the ecosphere. This perspective has set us on a concerning trajectory (e.g., the climate crisis) that makes it clear to me that we need to rethink our relationships with everything that is around us. I am excited to spend time engaging with a more interconnected and relational worldview to learn more about an alternative way of existing in the world.
Second, I have seen firsthand the effects of the climate crisis that ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx have increasingly experienced in recent years—e.g., wildfires in 2021 and 2023. I have worked for ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx since 2020 and experienced recent events like wildfires and landslides along with everyone else. In this time, ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx adopted me, giving me the name nxʷesítnéw’t, and they have become my community too. So, it is personally important to me to support their ability to caretake the area with my research so that they can ultimately keep the community safe (e.g., through resuming cultural burning to reduce wildfire severity). They know that these events are occurring in part because people have not maintained good relations with the territory.
Why did you decide to study at ?
I decided to study at because my supervisor convinced me to apply! He reached out to me one day a couple of years ago to learn more about the work that I have been doing with ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx. We arranged for some Forestry students to come visit one of the properties the First Nation had purchased in support of their conservation area, and by the end of the day he had convinced me to submit an application to the Forestry PhD program. I was already planning to undertake my proposed research outside of academia. Completing this work through a PhD program, however, ensures that what I deliver to the community will be of the highest-quality possible (e.g., supported by the Faculty of Forestry’s collective expertise, the most up to date research and methods, etc.), while simultaneously growing my research skills and allowing me to develop my ideas.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
I am specifically attracted to the flexibility of the PhD in Forestry, which allows me to have a great deal of freedom and control in designing my program and choosing what I learn about, as well as affords me the ability to spend as much time in ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓ (Kanaka Bar) and off-campus as I need.
What was the best surprise about or life in Vancouver?
One of my favourite things about life in Vancouver is that sometimes you can catch a glimpse of what it was like here before the city was built. Though the region has changed significantly over the past two centuries, there are still, for example, plenty of old-growth forests in the North Shore mountains to explore, and many old stories about these lands to learn. There's a lot more to this area than just the urban element.
What aspect of your graduate program do you enjoy the most or are looking forward to with the greatest curiosity?
In addition to better understanding nłeʔkepmx narratives and worldviews, I am also looking forward to learning more about the development of Western philosophical thought over time. My academic background is largely in psychology and anthropology, and prior to starting my PhD I had yet to really explore these foundational conversations. During the early stages of my PhD, I have learned about more interconnected and relational ways of thinking that have been present in Western philosophy all the way back to Ancient Greece (e.g., views espoused by Plato). Though more disconnected narratives have historically dominated in the West, shaping our present economic and political systems, conversations about alternative ways of existing in the world have continued in the background (e.g., the works of Spinoza, Whitehead, Jung, and many others). I was so pleasantly surprised to encounter this literature because much of it reminds me of what I have learned from ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx Elders over the past five years, and I am excited to continue following this thread.
What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) in your future career?
The biggest challenge that I face in my career is changing how people understand and relate to our environments. For most of humankind’s 200,000 or 300,000 years of existence, I think that we have likely looked at the world around us and understood ourselves as being a part of it, implicitly knowing that we exist in relation to all other things. It is probably only relatively recently that this has shifted to a widespread sense that humans are somehow separate from the rest of the biosphere, and that the world is to be managed by our species for our benefit. I see a link between this anthropocentric, disconnected perspective and the global capitalism that fuels the climate crisis—our species’ greatest existential threat. It is apparent to me that if we do not abandon this outlook, and instead adopt more interconnected and relational ways of understanding the world and our place in it, there will be a great deal of human suffering, and our story will reach a tragic end. ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx have a saying that I think about often: “what you do to the land, you do to yourself.”
How do you feel your program is preparing you for those challenges?
My PhD program is preparing me to improve how people understand and interact with the world around us by providing me the opportunity to explore worldviews—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—that describe alternative ways of relating to our environments. My research will also lead to tangible changes in these relationships on a local level by helping guide how ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx care for their territory.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your graduate program?
Living in the Fraser Canyon and working for ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx for five years and becoming a part of their community is what has best prepared me for my graduate studies. I learned a lot by listening to the Elders’ teachings, learning nłeʔkepmxcn (the language), and spending time out on the territory almost every day.
What do you like to do for fun or relaxation?
I like spending time in the forest, reading science fiction and philosophy, cooking spicy food, and photography.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Get to know the broader area beyond campus. I particularly recommend exploring Stanley Park. You can learn about its interesting history while checking out a handful of the city’s remaining giant trees.
