The Decolon-ice-ation of Glaciology:

Glaciology remains deeply intertwined with Western colonial legacies, shaped by narratives of conquest, exploitation, and extraction. This project reimagines glacial landscapes by exploring their significance through Indigenous epistemologies, environmental histories, socio-political systems, and academic paradigms. Through a relational perspective, glaciers are viewed as participants of a dynamic web of relations with life, rock, water, physical forces, and anthropogenic change. This work probes our positionality and responsibilities as researchers, acknowledging the lands that sustain our livelihood and the environments that animate our work. Drawing from critical theory, Indigenous value systems, community-engaged methodologies, and knowledge co-production, I propose a paradigm shift rooted in relational accountability, reciprocity, and resurgence. Intended to be adaptable, the concepts remain relevant in contexts marked by Indigenous erasure, uninhabitance, and colonial motives. By interrogating and challenging how dominant narratives of power, place, and positionality shape glaciological knowledge, this project prioritizes a transformative approach that integrates accountability, embodiment, and relationality to encourage a more resilient, inclusive, and ethically grounded practice of cryospheric research.