ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the ultimate challenge facing Human Ecology and humankind is an onto-epistemological one, both as this concerns our experience of reality, and what we count as "knowledge". It response to a different calling than that of a standard human ecological research text. To start with, the reader might note that over half of the contributors are women and a similar proportion could be considered as being from indigenous or marginalized groups. The book aims to inspire, provoke, and to challenge what many assume Human Ecology to be and the voices that represent it. It describes a range of opinion concerning its aims, epistemologies and approaches. The genesis for this book lies in part in the heart of the Canadian prairies. In 2008 a small group of international scholars and activists met to discuss the potential of Human Ecology.
