Community of Practice Based on Spanning Boundaries and Extending Our Solidarity with Other Species

A social contract assumes that rights are given in return for responsibilities. The argument in this chapter (and volume) is that rights should be accorded simply because sentient beings exist in relationship to multiple species. The chapter will reflect on the lessons learned whilst fostering and learning with a community of practice. The aim is to extend solidarity with multiple species by learning with colleagues, my graduates, their students, the community and Indigenous knowledge leaders. Together we address a range of social and environmental justice concerns. Our shared and ongoing challenge is to undertake transformative research with the aim of enhancing policy and decision making. In this chapter I discuss ontological, epistemological and methodological literacy that could help transformative research and which connects with local indigenous wisdom. This exploration reflects on Mary Edson’s questions about the relationship between systems research and co-learning and then develops a reflection on what Indigenous knowledge systems can add to restoring relationships with nature.