Abstract
In the last decades, agroecological and permacultural initiatives and organizations have grown. These initiatives attend to notions of food sovereignty and alternative models of agricultural production. The confluence of different actors and social initiatives through which experiences and knowledge of cultivating food are shared, and new ones are created, reveals a high educational potential. In light of impending global catastrophes such as climate change and pressing inequalities, new alternatives and diverse forms of sociability are necessary to open up possible futures for life on a damaged planet. Freirean approaches to science education must align with transdisciplinary social and political movements, and generate reflective practices and methods. This article addresses the case of an art and permaculture cooperative (APC) to analyze how communities work together to disrupt and dismantle inequities in science and education and make a more livable world. We offer a critical and contra-hegemonic pedagogical perspective on science education, one that forges new epistemic territories grounded in cooperation, art, permaculture, relationship, and diverse ecologies. The APC is the only one of its kind in Argentina. It has carried out its socio-ecological activities and interventions in ways that respect the characteristics of the natural ecosystem, agriculture and permaculture. We use narratives and case study methods to reveal how people’s subjective narratives give meaning to their experiences and learnings. The APC as a learning context has the potential to transform reality, promoting the development and strengthening of popular science education for liberation, one that honors diverse ecologies, and meaningfully addresses new socio-environmental challenges and concerns.
Resumen
En las últimas décadas han crecido las iniciativas y organizaciones agroecológicas y permaculturales, que atienden a nociones de soberanía alimentaria y modelos alternativos de producción agrícola. La confluencia de diferentes actores e iniciativas sociales a través de las cuales se comparten experiencias y conocimientos sobre el cultivo de alimentos y se crean otros nuevos, revela un alto potencial educativo. A la luz de catástrofes globales inminentes como el cambio climático y las acuciantes desigualdades, se necesitan nuevas alternativas y diversas formas de sociabilidad para abrir posibles futuros para la vida en un planeta dañado. Los enfoques freireanos de la educación científica deben alinearse con los movimientos sociales y políticos transdisciplinarios, pudiendo generar prácticas y métodos reflexivos. Este artículo aborda el caso de una Cooperativa de Arte y Permacultura (APC) para analizar cómo las comunidades trabajan juntas para interrumpir y desmantelar las desigualdades en la ciencia y la educación y hacer un mundo más habitable. Ofrecemos una perspectiva pedagógica crítica y contrahegemónica sobre la educación científica, que forja nuevos territorios epistémicos basados en la cooperación, el arte, la permacultura, la relación y las ecologías diversas. La APC es única en su tipo en Argentina. Ha llevado a cabo sus actividades e intervenciones socioecológicas respetando las características del ambiente natural, la agricultura y la permacultura. Utilizamos el estudio de caso y el análisis de narrativas para revelar cómo las narraciones subjetivas de las personas dan significado a sus experiencias y aprendizajes. La APC como contexto de aprendizaje tiene el potencial de transformar la realidad, promoviendo el desarrollo y fortalecimiento de una educación científica popular para la liberación, que valore las diversas ecologías de saberes y aborde de manera acorde los nuevos desafíos y preocupaciones socioambientales.
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This manuscript is a part of the special issue Reflecting on Freire: A praxis of radical love and critical hope for science education, guest edited by Betzabe Torres Olave, Sara Tolbert, and Alejandra Frausto Aceves.
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Martín, R.B., Palombo, N.E., Martinenco, R.M. et al. Narratives of learning in a permacultural cooperative: some inspiring ideas for science education in the light of Freire's pedagogy. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 18, 175–193 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-023-10164-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-023-10164-5