Dr. John Bosco Conama

Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies  and an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin

Dr. John Bosco Conama is a prominent figure in Deaf studies and advocacy. He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies and as an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin. John actively shapes policies to enhance the rights and inclusion of Deaf individuals. His efforts in promoting and preserving Irish Sign Language are widely acclaimed, and his scholarly publications inform discourse on Deaf individuals’ experiences and the importance of social policies in safeguarding linguistic diversity.

 

Shivant Jhagroe

Writer, researcher, artist, and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University

Shivant Jhagroe is a writer, researcher and artist. He works as an assistant professor at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University. In his new book ‘Beyond Sustainability’ (in Dutch, ‘Voorbij Duurzaamheid’), Shivant argues that thinking and acting from the perspective of sustainability often functions as a ‘green pacifier’ that prevents radical and just system change. The moral fixation on sustainability narratives (e.g. electric cars, eco-tourism) makes us forget how deeply sustainability is intertwined with colonialism, capitalism and social exclusion. He therefore advocates for a different political imagination, towards an ‘eco-just society’, which prioritises a loving and caring relation with the Earth and each other.