The Critical Garden Studies working group—part of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture (CISSC) at Concordia University—brings together an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students to explore the garden as a dynamic, critical, material, and imaginative microcosm for the political, performative, social, cultural, botanical, and environmental.
Critical Garden Studies acts as sites for new and interdisciplinary research methodologies that incorporate research-creation, qualitative, and quantitative methods and often prioritize embodied and experiential research. The working group considers different types of garden sites, such as:
- community gardens
- landscape gardens
- urban wilds
- botanical gardens
The group also pays special attention to:
- garden design and maintenance
- creation and evolution in social-historical contexts
- decision-making in and organizational structure of gardens
- gardens as sites of pedagogy, resilience, food security
- sustainability programs
- gardens as forms of media and artistic engagement
Our activities include invited speakers/performers/activists, garden visits (where possible) and meetings where members of the working group share their current research for feedback and discussion.
For more information about the Critical Gardens Studies working group, click here.
Jill Didur 