Different Historical Arrangements of Emotional Energy: Spatial Epistemologies and their Critique of "Crisis Epistemologies"

This roundtable explores “different historical arrangements of emotional energy” as a framework for rethinking religion, ecology, and politics beyond Eurocentric, time-centered epistemologies. Building on Vine Deloria Jr.’s critique of Western historical consciousness and his emphasis on spatial epistemologies, participants will examine how place-based ways of knowing foreground moral relationships, ecological responsibilities, and non-linear temporalities. The session responds to contemporary “crisis epistemologies”—including nationalist and reactionary movements that mobilize mythic pasts—by interrogating how competing configurations of emotional energy shape collective identities and political imaginaries. Bringing together papers, case studies, and community-engaged work, the roundtable highlights decolonial approaches to religion and environment, including Indigenous knowledge systems, climate adaptation, and movements for land, food, and data sovereignty. Participants will collaboratively explore how spatialized practices and concepts—such as differential consciousness, kinship, and mutual responsibility—can foster new forms of planetary coexistence, offering alternatives to homogenizing global narratives and opening pathways toward more just and ecologically grounded futures.