Assistant Professor
Planning, Geography, and Environmental Studies
Abbotsford campus, A406h
email JohnBefore joining the Department of Planning, Geography and Environmental Studies as an Assistant Professor, Dr. John Bosco Acharibasam served as a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Mount Royal University in Calgary. He was born and raised in a rural, land-based community in Northern Ghana, where he witnessed firsthand the environmental challenges that continue to shape his scholarly work. As an immigrant, he is honoured to live, work, teach, and learn on traditional Indigenous territories, including treaty lands, unceded lands, and Métis homelands. Dr. Acharibasam respectfully acknowledges and honours the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Elders—past, present, and emerging. Dr. Acharibasam is a community-based researcher who addresses environmental and social justice issues affecting Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities in Canada and globally. His research is grounded in Indigenous-led, decolonial, and anti-racist frameworks, with areas of interest including climate justice, Indigenous-led water governance, environmental health disparities, Black geographies, and decolonizing research methodologies.
Ph.D. in Educational Foundations, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
MA in Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
BA in Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana Legon, Ghana.
As an educator committed to the transformative power of education, my teaching philosophy centers on anti-racist, decolonial, and social justice principles that empower students to become agents of change. Inspired by John Dewey’s emphasis on practical learning, I create experiential learning environments that connect classroom content to real-world issues, particularly those affecting marginalized communities in Canada. My pedagogy integrates the voices of Knowledge Holders and Indigenous Elders, grounding learning in lived experiences and cultural wisdom. I strive to cultivate a safe, inclusive, and respectful space where all students feel valued, supported, and capable of thriving. Adopting a strength-based approach, I highlight the resilience and potential of marginalized communities while mentoring students through research opportunities, career development, and personalized guidance. My student-centred classroom prioritizes collaboration, hands-on learning, and creative assessment practices that go beyond traditional evaluation, with ongoing reflection to enhance my teaching effectiveness.
GEOG 325 (Health and Place)
GEOG 256 (Knowledge and Ethics in Geographic and Environmental Research)
GEOG 318 (Water Resources Management)
Climate Justice and Environmental Health, Indigenous-led Water Governance and Energy,
Environmental Education and Land-Based Learning, Black Geographies and Environmental Racism, Environmental Health and Planning, Decolonizing Education and Health through Geography.
PEER-REVIEWED BOOK CHAPTER PUBLICATION
Indigenous two-eyed seeing methodology. In M. Gumbo, M. Gaotlhobogwe, C. Pedzisai, Z. Jojo, & C. Knaus (Eds.), Global perspectives on decolonizing postgraduate education (pp.27-41.). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-1289-6.ch003.
BOOKS
Datta, R., Chapola, J. & Acharibasam, J. B. (2024). Indigenous Land-based knowledge and practice as environmental sustainability. DOI: 10.4324/9781003471486. Routledge.