Stretching the boundaries of transformative sustainability learning: On the importance of decolonizing ways of knowing and relations with the more-than-human (original) (raw)

2016, Environmental Education Research

This paper chronicles students' experiences of transformative sustainability learning through 'epistemological stretching'-a pedagogical orientation which focuses on expanding the ways of knowing that someone respects, understands, and/or engages with. With a particular emphasis on decolonizing relations between humans and the more-than-human, epistemological stretching enables students to articulate and critically engage with the epistemologies of their academic fields, gain new(old) perspectives on relations with the more-than-human, and interact with Indigenous knowledges in more effective and ethical ways. Students in this study experienced powerful learning outcomes in the following areas: reconceptualization of relationships, acknowledgement and deconstruction of power, and worldview bridging. Some students also received validation for ways of knowing that they previously engaged in but were unsure about expressing in academic contexts. Introduction: epistemological and ontological stretching for transformative sustainability learning For the field of sustainability to rest on socially robust and resilient epistemological and ontological foundations, sustainability educators must work towards critical epistemological reflexivity, acknowledgement of more diverse sources of knowledge, and more open approaches to knowledge generation (Fortuin and van Koppen 2016; Miller, Muñoz-Erickson, and Redman 2011; Miller et al. 2008; Murphy 2011). Developing capacity for interdisciplinary sustainability knowledge creation and engagement with Indigenous knowledge holders necessitates transformative and decolonizing 1 approaches to education. Such openness requires attention to ways in which 'the western knowledge narrative' (Hall 2014, 9) has made it difficult to 'hear' the many voices of the more-than-human. This research chronicles the experiences of students within a sustainability graduate program designed to evoke critical examination of their epistemological assumptions, and of the epistemology of sustainability as an inter-disciplinary and intercultural academic field. It paves the way for transformative sustainability learning that supports anti-and de-colonizing approaches to more-than-human agency and knowledge making processes. It also acknowledges the interrelated nature of epistemology and ontology. Conventional reductionist approaches are not proving to be adequate for addressing complex environmental problems emerging within socio-ecological systems (IPBES 2011; Miller, Muñoz-Erickson,