Championing Inclusive Terminology in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
February 13, 2023
Wall Scholar Danielle Ignace is a member of a new collaborative initiative aimed at making scientific terminology in ecology and evolutionary.
The EEB Language Project is committed to creating a platform for compiling resources and bringing together scientists to understand the impact language can have on inclusion in EEB, and to identify terms that may warrant replacement or additional context for their use.
Their website offers visitors an opportunity submit examples of harmful or offensive terminology in EEB as well as to identify potential replacement terms. These submissions will contribute to a repository for harmful terminology that will be regularly updated.
Perspective Piece Published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution
The group has also recently published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. “Championing inclusive terminology in ecology and evolution”, provides background on how terminology influences inclusion in EEB, offers guiding questions and considerations for readers, and situates this work in the broader context of equity and justice.
“Attention to language is particularly important because the terms we centre in science can send value-laden messages about who belongs (or not) and what ideas matter (or not), even when we do not intend to do so.Much of Western science is rooted in colonialism, white supremacy, and patriarchy, and these power structures continue to permeate our scientific culture Here, we discuss one crucial way to address this history and make EEB more inclusive for marginalized communities: our choice of scientific terminology.”
You can read the article in its entirety on the Trends in Ecology and Evolution website.
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