Max Ritts is an environmental geographer whose research explores intersections of social power, sensory practice, and ecological transformation – with a particular focus on Indigenous community contexts. His in-process book, A Resonant Ecology (under contract with Duke UP), examines the material, affective, and conceptual force of industrial development through situated enactments of sonic culture (encompassing eco-acoustics, whalesong, industrial noise, and Indigenous heavy metal). The book is rooted in collaborations with communities on the North Coast of British Columbia, where Max has been working since 2013. Here, Max is developing a new collaborative partnership with the Gitga’at First Nation that will assess capacities for data sovereignty and socio-cultural wellbeing in relation to the expansive uptake of digital environmental assessment tools within and surrounding Gitga’at Territory. Max is also working as co-editor on a second book, The Raven Stories, an anthology that aims to centre the voices of young Indigenous scholars and critical Indigenous perspectives in the Academy. Prior to joining Clark, Max was a College Research Associate (CRA) at King’s College, University of Cambridge. He received his PhD in Geography from the University of British Columbia in 2018.
COURSES TAUGHT
GEOG 017: Environment & Society
GEOG 327: The Politics of Sensing
GEOG 099: Native Americans, Natural Resources