About

Karim-Aly S. Kassam is International Professor of Environmental and Indigenous Studies in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University. Professor Kassam’s aim is to seamlessly merge research and teaching in the service of communities. His research focuses on the complex connectivity of human and environmental relations, addressing indigenous ways of knowing, food sovereignty, sustainable livelihoods, stewardship, and climate change. This research is conducted in partnership with indigenous communities in the Circumpolar Arctic, Boreal Forest, as well as the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang. Since 2016, he has been leading a project developing anticipatory capacity for climate change. By investigating the relationship between biological and cultural diversity, he seeks to expand the foundations of the notion of pluralism. Through applied research and teaching, he is articulating a rigorous methodology and pedagogy of hope.