Lewis Williams

Research Areas

Critical cultural geographies; social-ecological resilience; climate emergency; Indigenous knowledge and innovation; Indigenous and traditional systems of healing, Indigenous Education and Transformative Learning, Indigenous feminisms and queer theory.

Research Interests

I am an interdisciplinary, Indigenous, feminist scholar-practitioner. I am the Founding Director of the Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience a Canadian based international not for profit. My scholarship and practice centre on Indigenous resurgence and reconciliation as a key means of addressing Indigenous disparities and human-planetary wellbeing.

Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience: https://intergenresil.com/ 

Ko Mataatua te waka, Ko Ngai Te Rangi te iwi, Ko Mauao te manunga
Mataatua is the canoe, Ngai Te Rangi are the people, Mauao is the mountain.

Teaching

GEO 3413G - Climate, Culture and Indigenous Geographies

GEO (Sp Topic) - Climate and Geographies of RematriationIS

2218G - Contemporary Indigenous Issues in Canada

IS 3140G - Indigenous Knowledge and Traditions

IS 4140G - Indigenous Research and Methodologies

GEO 9998 - Debates in Geographic Thought

Supervised Graduate Students and Theses Titles

PhD Students

• K. Wysocki (joint-supervised) (Current) T.B.D.

Recent Publications

Refereed Journals
Williams, L. (2025). As we have always Done: Māori, Anishinaabe and Gàidheil responses to climate challenge. MAI Review, Special Issue on Indigenous responses to climate change. 14(1), 83-95.

Williams, L. Awasis, S., & Ranmarine, J. (2025). Disrupting climate emergency through Indigiqueer futurities. Journal of Indigenous Social Development. Special Issue in Indigenous Resurgence amongst climate disruption. Vol 13(1), 1-14. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jisd/article/view/81110

Kidd, S., Bezgrebeina, M., Williams, L. et al (2024). Addressing Poverty and homelessness is central to an equity-focused response to Climate Change. Considering Canada as an example. International Journal of Homelessness, 4(3), 1-6. Submitted under the auspices of the Canadian Poverty, Health Equity, and Climate Change initiative. https://doi.org/10.5206/ijoh.2023.3.18987

Williams, L. (2024). Indigenous intergenerational resilience and lifelong learning: Critical leverage points for deep sustainability transformation in turbulent times. Sustainability, 16(11), 4494; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114494 (registering DOI).

Williams, L. (2023) From Indigenous Philosophy in Environmental Education to Indigenous Planetary Futures: what would it take? Australian Journal of Environmental Education. Special issue on Indigenous Philosophy in Environmental Education. On Line First DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2023.23

Awatere, S., King, D. N., Reid, J., Williams, L., Masters-Awatere, B., Harris, P., Tassell-Matamua, N., Jones, R., Eastwood, K., Pirker, J., & Jackson, A. -M. (2021). He huringa āhuarangi, he huringa ao: A changing climate, a changing world. Te Arotahi Series Paper, 7, [October 2021]. Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence. https://www.maramatanga.ac.nz/te-arotahi-07

Lewis, D, Williams, L., and Jones, R. (2020). A radical revision of the public health response to environmental crisis in a warming world: Contributions of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous feminist perspectives. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 111, 897-900.

Documentary Films
Williams, L. et al (2025). Climate Resilience: A conversation about dùthchas. Recording of international online panel research report “Dùthchas agus dualchas an saoghal nan Gàidheil” launch. Cohosted by Centre for Human Ecology, Glasgow and Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience, Victoria, Canada. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQch_8yoUU

Williams, L. and Alphonse, D. (2022). Climate Crisis and Multi-generational Resilience. A Wisdom Council between Indigenous Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers and Youth from Turtle Island / Canada and Alba/Scotland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lR6GIdKoqU

Williams, L. And Alphonse, D. (2021). The Language of the Land. A Wisdom Council between Indigenous Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers and Youth from Turtle Island / Canada and Aotearoa / New Zealand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ZoRZMU9XM

Williams, L. et al (2017). Intergenerational Resilience. Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8RK_6hoCQ

Williams, L. et al (2014). The Radical Human Ecology Dialogues. Koru International Network. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuK7PR8IKpA&t=174s

Books
Williams, L. (2022). Indigenous Intergenerational Resilience: Confronting cultural and ecological crisis. Indigenous Peoples and Policy Series, Routledge, U.K.

Williams, L., Roberts, R. and McIntosh, A. (2016). Radical Human Ecology: Intercultural and Indigenous Approaches. Routledge: U.K. (432 pages). ISBN 978-0-7546-7768-0.

Williams, L, Cervin C. (2004) Contemporary approaches to participatory action research in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Social and Cultural Studies, No 4, July 2004. Massey University.

Chapters in Books
Williams, L, Alphonse, D., Kockel, U. & Perrin, K. (2024). Transforming approaches to reconciliation in higher education and leadership through an inclusive practice of Indigenist social-ecological resilience. The Bloomsbury Handbook of Ethics of Care in Transformative Leadership in Higher Education Series. M. Drinkwater and Yaghid, Y. (eds). Pp. 297-315. London: Bloombury.

Meadows, L. and Williams, L. (2021). Developing Individual Skills: Building Capacity for Individual, Collective and Socio-political Empowerment. In Canadian Community as Partner: Theory and Multi-disciplinary Practice. Vollman, A., Anderson, E., and McFarlane J. (eds), 5th edition, forthcoming. London: Lipincott, Williams and Wilkins.

Williams, L. (2018). Empowerment and social-ecological resilience in the Anthropocene. In Resilient Systems, Resilient Communities. Stewart-Harawira, M. and Kinder, J. (eds). Intersections of Sustainability. Alberta: University of Alberta.