Environmental and sustainability education in a post-truth era. An exploration of epistemology and didactics beyond the objectivism-relativism dualism

Abstract

This article focuses on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) in the context of the topical post-truth debate. It aims to progress theoretical research as well as empirical investigations on how ESE practices can avoid the pitfalls involved in an objectivist as well as a relativist approach to teaching and learning. After elaborating the problems implied in both these approaches, the article explores concepts developed in science and technology studies (STS) that have the potential to inspire ESE research and practice to move beyond this problematic dichotomy: Latour’s ‘matters of concern’ and ‘compositionism’ and Jasanoff’s ‘co-production’ and ‘socio-technical imaginaries’. Drawing on pragmatist educational theory the author develops a conceptual framework that serves as a theoretical model for investigations of how ESE subject matter and teaching methods can be introduced, handled and experienced in a way that moves beyond the dualism of objectivism versus relativism. Building on the work of scholars who have connected Dewey’s pragmatic, transactional perspective to the domain of didactical research, it is shown how this theoretical model can be operationalised for empirical studies with the help of well-chosen analytical methods. The article is concluded with some reflections on the limitations and potential of the presented framework.