Conceptual Activism Engaging Queerly in Conflictual Times: Lecture and workshop on Trans*ecology led by Dr. Asmae Ourkiya

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Institute for Queer Theory (IQT), Dr. Asmae Ourkiya delivered a lecture and hosted a hands-on workshop centered on the framework of trans*ecology.

This event, held at ICI Berlin in collaboration with iQt Berlin, served as both a theoretical intervention and a pedagogical experiment in (re)naturalization.

The lecture: A genealogy of Trans*ecology

The first part of the evening explored the theoretical synthesis of queer ecology and trans studies*. This lens is designed to challenge the anthropocentric and binary logics of Western (neo)colonialism.

Key pillars of the discussion included:

The asterisk as resistance and inclusion:
Utilizing "trans*ecology" (no space, asterisk included) to denote an expansive, non-linear, and inherently ecological understanding of gender variance.

Decolonizing the binary:
Examining how transphobia functions as a technology of colonial control and using historical context to debunk the myth of transness as a modern phenomenon.

The (re)naturalization project:
Moving beyond the pathologization of trans lives by re-situating our existence within the vast, diverse reality of the natural world.

The workshop: Beyond the syllabus
The event transitioned from the amphitheater to the haptic. To confront the failure of Western academia, which often treats embodiment as a hollow intellectual fetish, we engaged in the literal practice of making.

Using clay as our medium, participants created trans*ecology chimeras of themselves. This move from theory to messy practice insisted on treating the body not as a text to be read, but as a primary pedagogical methodology.

“Academia prides itself on ‘thinking’ the body; trans*ecology insists on making it.” Dr. Asmae Ourkiya (they/them)