The Colonization of Capital "S" Science with Helena Souffrant

About this episode

Helena Souffrant discusses the intersection of colonization, racism, and capitalism in the context of natural history and birding.

**Please excuse any audio imperfections in this episode** Helena Souffrant, a Masters student at the Yale School of the Environment, joins the Always Be Birdin' Podcast to lend her knowledge about the world of Natural History. Join us as we pull at the roots of capital "S" science and reveal a long history of colonization and the desire to uphold made up categorization systems that are intrinsically linked to racism and capitalism. As we navigate these complex topics, we come to the reality that birding as we know it today can be described as a rebranding of the exploitative expeditions of the past. We also discuss the normalized rigidity of capital "S" science and what happens when white supremacy is the only voice in the room when it comes to understanding the world around us. And, as always, how can we as Black, Indigenous and birders of color, continue to challenge and dismantle the systems that inform how we go birding every day.

People in this episode

Host: Samantha DeJarnett

Guest: Helena Souffrant

Topics covered

• colonization
• natural history
• capitalism
• racism
• birding
• science

Keywords

• colonization
• natural history
• capital S science
• racism
• capitalism
• birding
• Black Indigenous birders

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Yale School of the Environment