Michelle J Garvey
Affiliations
Michelle J. Garvey is a teaching specialist in Gender, Women, & Studies and Sustainability Studies at the University of Minnesota. An interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Garvey educates on diverse topics like feminist science studies, environmental studies, eco-social justice movements, art theory, popular culture, public discourse, and feminist theory. /// She specializes in environmental justice (EJ) theory, history, and activism. Addressing its diverse and interconnected fields—climate justice, food justice, and reproductive justice among them—Dr. Garvey educates through community-engaged projects that channel student scholarship into the EJ movement. She has collaborated with several EJ partners, including the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, The Women's Environmental Institute, Tamales y Bicicletas, Project Sweetie Pie, Mashkiikii Gitigan Urban Farm, and MN State Congresspeople. Garvey also mentors the UMN student group Voices for Environmental Justice, and collaborates across UMN Institutes and colleges to promote EJ research, pedagogy, and community partnerships. /// The overriding concern propelling Dr. Garvey’s research is what types of natures should be created and sustained in response to climate change. Using material feminist theory, environmental justice scholarship, and cutting-edge research on novel ecosystems in the Anthropocene, her work investigates the drawbacks and potentialities of ecological restoration. Ultimately, she argues for a justice-oriented approach to repairing and refashioning landscapes so that they may effectively confront the biosocial causes of injustice and environmental degradation.