Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Building new foundations: the future of education from a degrowth perspective

  • Special Feature: Original Article
  • The politics of making and un-making (sustainable) futures
  • Published:
  • volume 14, pages 931–941 (2019)
Sustainability Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Cite this article

Abstract

Considering education in the context of making and unmaking sustainable futures, a growing relevance is attributed to the role of shared beliefs or mental infrastructures which shape the way people perceive crises and solutions. The currently dominant capitalist economic paradigm is seen as one such powerful belief that generates imaginaries which cannot accommodate sustainable futures. At the same time, in educational practice, social movements, and academic discussion, the perspective of degrowth has gained attention as an approach which challenges this paradigm. In this article, we address the role of education in processes of socioecological transformation in the context of degrowth. We do this from a perspective of practice, linking our experiences in non-formal education to academic discussions on education and sustainability. The aim of this article is to contribute to a pedagogy of degrowth as one path within a complex search for ways to imagine and support sustainable futures, which address root causes of the current crises. Analysing these crises as crises of conviviality, resulting from imperial modes of living and producing, we sketch the framework for sustainable futures marked by world relations of interconnectedness and solidarity. Relating a theory of transformative learning to a critical-emancipatory understanding of education, we propose two interlinked aspects for pedagogy of degrowth: creating spaces for reflection and emphasizing the political in educational settings. We discuss our practical experience as learning facilitators in non-formal educational contexts. As a cross-cutting challenge, we will touch upon the role of strengthening psychological resources in education for a degrowth society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We have adopted this term from Prádanos (2018). Referring to Cornelius Castoriadis, he describes ‘imaginaries’ as “social significations which recreate meaning and thus reproduce themselves […] ignoring, avoiding, dispossessing, disciplining, or even criminalizing whatever or whomever does not fit within its pre-determined framework” (Prádanos 2018, 11–12).

  2. For an overview of the different approaches and proposals in the context of degrowth, see Jackson (2017), Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie (2017) and Schmelzer and Vetter (2019).

  3. The Humboldtian notion of Bildung (education) holds that one main aspect of it is transformation in the way people relate to themselves and to the world. In our expanded view of education, we now also talk about transformation of collectively shared beliefs shaping our societies instead of just the individual and his or her unique relations to the rest of the world and the things in it.

  4. The UNESCO Roadmap for Implementing the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development is clear on that question: ESD “achieves its purpose by transforming society. ESD is about shaping a better tomorrow for all” (UNESCO 2014). As this describes the goal of education rather than the way to achieve it, we do not go into to this approach any deeper.

  5. We are aware that trying to pluralize perspectives from a position that is “White and academic” is difficult. We want to be transparent about this. The debate about sustainable futures cannot be separated from people’s positions in terms of social status or privileges and associated forms of discrimination.

  6. Consequently, we will not go into depth about societal transformation theory and learning. The reader will find more relevant literature in the footnotes.

  7. We will also relate to the experiences of actors in the field of ESD, with who we are in close contact, and to political education, to broaden the practical background that we refer to.

  8. Getzin and Singer-Brodowski (2016) argue that ESD is too much influenced and instrumentalized by economic interest and thus a pedagogy of degrowth cannot be developed within this frame. We see this point, but our position is less hardened. We see it as a crossover between ESD and political education, pointing out that both fields can learn or inform reciprocally.

  9. Brand and Wissen (2017) describe the modes of living of the Global North as imperial; they are based on access to cheap labour and resources from the Global South as well as protection of this exclusive access.

  10. Cf. Biesecker’s concept of “Vorsorgendes Wirtschaften” (Biesecker and von Winterfeld 2014).

  11. Cf. Plumwood (2002), Descola (2011), Göpel (2016), Muraca (2007), Sanders (2016), Brand and Wissen (2017).

  12. Andreotti et al. (2018) have also stressed the importance of learning processes beyond a cognitive rational level.

  13. The Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU) is an advisory council to the German Federal Government and a main actor in the German sustainability debate.

  14. This notion of education also underlies the Frankfurt Declaration for a critical-emancipatory political education (2015) which claims, that to support a more balanced public debate on sustainable futures, an important task of education is to “display excluded and underprivileged positions” (Eis et al. 2015).

  15. In the German-speaking countries, a similar debate is occurring, influenced by Koller (2010) and Peukert (2015), the latter placing a stronger emphasis on collective and political perspectives.

  16. In their comparative study on political dimensions in ESD, Håkansson et al. (2017) raise the question of whether we must deal with learners’ personal commitments in order to discuss or to manage the experience of antagonistic conflict in the context of building sustainable futures.

  17. Harald Welzer states that our historically developed mental infrastructures are so deeply internalized that we can hardly access them through cognitive reflection. Rather, we can become aware of and change them by experiencing examples where different relations to the world are realized (Welzer 2011). See Amsler and Facer (2017) for more detailed discussion on hope in the context of learning for sustainable futures.

  18. In this context, Prádanos (2016) discusses the challenge of dealing with privileged learners and points out the necessity of learning to listen.

  19. See Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie, FairBidung (2014) Beyond Growth! Methods for Educational Settings on Economic Growth, Limits to Growth and Alternatives.

  20. Here, we refer to Eric Olin Wright’s (2010) concept of Real Utopias which focusses on establishing alternatives in the cracks of the dominant economic and societal system. For the relevance of dealing with power relations in the context of ESD, see also Håkansson et al. (2017).

  21. See in particular Håkansson et al. (2017), a study dealing with the political dimension of ESD, focussing on conflict.

  22. Related to this is the relevance of socio-political engagement for progressive educators. Up to now, there has been very little exchange over challenges, good practices, strategic orientation, or political requirements. To change the conditions of educational practice and to become more visible, we believe that it is necessary to build and strengthen the image and identity of progressive educators through an associated movement. In our work, for instance, we organize bigger events like conferences with larger teams of organizers—groups of as many as 50 people. With these larger events, actors develop projects jointly; this kind of engagement supports the forming of a common bond.

References

  • Amsler S, Facer K (2017) Contesting anticipatory regimes in education: exploring alternative educational orientations to the future. Futures 94:6–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreotti V (2012) Editor’s Preface “HEADS UP”. Crit Lit Theories Pract 6:1–3

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreotti V et al (2018) Mobilising different conversations about global justice in education: toward alternative futures in uncertain times. Policy Pract 26:9–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Arendt H (1958) The human condition. University Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Biesecker A, von Winterfeld U (2014) All inclusive?—Vorsorgendes Wirtschaften und neue Gesellschaftsverträge. In: Elsen S (ed) Social innovation, participation and the development of society. Bozen University Press, Bozen, pp 211–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand U (2005) Gegen-Hegemonie. Perspektiven globalisierungskritischer Strategien. VSA, Hamburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand U (2014) Kapitalistisches Wachstum und soziale Herrschaft – Motive. Argumente und Schwächen aktueller Wachstumskritik. Prokla 44(175):289–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand U, Wissen M (2017) Imperiale Lebensweise. Zur Ausbeutung von Mensch und Natur in Zeiten des globalen Kapitalismus. Oekom, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Brookfield SD (2000) Transformative learning as ideology critique. In: Mezirow J (ed) Learning as transformation: critical perspectives on a theory in progress. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, pp 125–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown W (2015) Undoing the Demos. Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution. Zone Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Alisa G, Demaria F, Kallis G (eds) (2015) Degrowth—a new vocabulary for a new era. Routledge, London/New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Deriu M (2016) Konvivialität. In: D’Alisa G et al (eds) Degrowth. Handbuch für eine neue Ära. Oekom, München, pp 157–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Descola P (2011) Jenseits von Kultur und Natur. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt

    Google Scholar 

  • Eis A et al (2015) Frankfurt Declaration—for a critical-emancipatory Political Education. http://akg-online.org/sites/default/files/frankfurt_declaration_2016.pdf. Accessed 24 Aug 2018

  • Getzin S, Singer-Brodowski M (2016) Transformatives Lernen in einer Degrowth-Gesellschaft. Socience 1:33–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Göpel M (2016) The great mind-shift. How a new economic paradigm and sustainability transformation go hand in hand. Springer, Wiesbaden

    Google Scholar 

  • Graupe S (2013) Die Macht ökonomischer Bildung. In: Frost U, Rieger-Ladich M (eds) Demokratie setzt aus. Gegen die sanfte Liquidation einer politischen Lebensform. Vierteljahresschrift zur wissenschaftlichen Pädagogik, Sonderheft, pp 85–112

  • Graupe S (2016) Wirtschaftswachstum und Bildungswiderstand. In: Sánchez de Murillo J (ed) Facetten des Wachstums. Aufgang–Jahrbuch für Denken, Dichten, Kunst 13, pp 70–95

  • Graupe S (2017) Beeinflussung und Manipulation in der ökonomischen Bildung. Hintergründe und Beispiele. FGW-Impuls Neues ökonomisches Denken 05, FGW, Düsseldorf

  • Håkansson DO, Östman L (2018) The political dimension in ESE: the construction of a political moment model for analyzing bodily anchored political emotions in teaching and learning of the political dimension. Environ Educ Res. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1422113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson DO, Kronlid O, Östman L (2017) Searching for the political dimension in education for sustainable development: socially critical, social learning and radical democratic approaches. Environ Educ Res. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1408056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harmin M, Barrett MJ, Hoessler C (2016) Stretching the boundaries of transformative sustainability learning: on the importance of decolonizing ways of knowing and relations with the more-than-human. Environ Educ Res 23:1489–1500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huckle J, Wals A (2015) The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: business as usual in the end. Environ Educ Res 21:491–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunecke M (2013) Psychologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Psychische Ressourcen für Postwachstumsgesellschaften. Oekom, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Illich I (1998) Selbstbegrenzung. Eine politische Kritik der Technik. C.H Beck, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson T (2017) Prosperity without growth. Foundatios for the economy of tomorrow, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jickling B (1992) Why I don’t want my children to be educated for sustainable development. J Environ Educ 23:5–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kollektiv ILA (ed) (2019) Das Gute Leben für Alle. Wege in eine solidarische Lebensweise. Oekom, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Koller HC (2010) Grundzüge einer Theorie transformatorischer Bildungsprozesse. In: Liesner A, Lohmann I (eds) Gesellschaftliche Bedingungen von Bildung und Erziehung. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, pp 288–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie (ed) (2017) Degrowth in Bewegung(en)— 32 alternative Wege zu einer sozial-ökologischen Transformation. Oekom, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie, FairBidung (2014) Beyond Growth. Leipzig/Berlin. https://www.endlich-wachstum.de/kapitel/materials-in-english. Accessed 24 Aug 2018

  • Kopatz M (2017) Ökoroutine. Damit wir tun, was wir für richtig halten. Oekom, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow J (1990) How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In: Mezirow J (ed) Fostering critical reflection in adulthood. A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, pp 1–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow J (1997) Transformative Erwachsenenbildung. Baltmannsweiler Schneider, Hohengehren

    Google Scholar 

  • Muraca B (2007) Getting over ‘nature: modern bifurcations, postmodern possibilities. In: Kearns L, Keller C (eds) Ecospirit: religions and philosophies for the earth. Fordham University Press, New York, pp 156–177

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Narberhaus M (2016) Gesellschaftlicher Wandel als Lernprozess. Zeitschrift für internationale Bildungsforschung und Entwicklungspädagogik 39(1):23–26

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan E, Morrell A, O’Connor A (eds) (2002) Expanding the boundaries of transformative learning. Essays on theory and praxis. Palgrave, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Peukert H (2015) Bildung in gesellschaftlicher Transformation. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Plumwood V (2002) Environmental culture: the ecological crisis of reason. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Prádanos LI (2016) The pedagogy of degrowth. Teaching Hispanic studies in the age of social inequality and ecological collapse. Arizona J Hispanic Cult Stud 19:153–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prádanos LI (2018) Postgrowth Imaginaries: new ecologies and counterhegemonic culture in post-2008 Spain (Contemporary Hispanic and Lusophone Cultures, Band 19). Liverpool University Press, Liverpool

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanders C (2016) Mentale infrastrukturen revisited—analyse der Wachstumskultur. Politische Ökologie 146:132–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmelzer M, Vetter A (2019) Degrowth/Postwachstum zur Einführung. Junius, Hamburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott W, Gough S (2010) Sustainability, learning and capability—exploring questions of balance. Sustainability 2:3735–3746

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selby D, Kagawa F (2010) Runaway climate change as challenge to the ‘closing circle’ of education for sustainable development. J Educ Sustain Dev 4(1):37–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sterling S (2010) Learning for resilience, or the resilient learner? Environ Educ Res 16:511–528

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello M (2010) Warum wir kooperieren. Suhrkamp, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2014) Roadmap for implementing the global action programme on education for sustainable development. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Vare P, Scott W (2007) Learning for a change: exploring the relationship between education and sustainable development. J Educ Sustain Dev 1:191–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WBGU (2011) Welt im Wandel. Gesellschaftsvertrag für eine Große Transformation. WBGU, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Welzer H (2011) Mentale Infrastrukturen. Schriften zur Ökologie 14. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright EO (2010) Envisioning real utopias. Verso, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V, Klingenstr. 22, 04229, Leipzig, Germany

    Nadine Kaufmann, Christoph Sanders & Julian Wortmann

Authors
  1. Nadine Kaufmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christoph Sanders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Julian Wortmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nadine Kaufmann.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Handled by Anne-Katrin Holfelder, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kaufmann, N., Sanders, C. & Wortmann, J. Building new foundations: the future of education from a degrowth perspective. Sustain Sci 14, 931–941 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-019-00699-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-019-00699-4

Keywords

search

Navigation