Teaching under an orange sky: Toward reimagining educational purpose on a damaged planet

Abstract

I begin with an assumption that there are intersectional relations among education, humans, cyber technologies, and nature, and assert that an expansive understanding of formal educational purpose is needed in the twenty first century. Drawing on Biesta’s (2009) three domains of educational purpose (qualification, socialization, and subjectification), I examine how posthuman, decolonial, and ecofeminist insights manifest in each domain. I employ Haraway’s concepts of kin-making and thinking-with as a methodological approach, using personal narrative to bridge theory and practice. By establishing “theoretical alliances” with diverse thinkers, scholars, and communities, I aim to challenge traditional individualistic and hierarchical approaches to philosophy in environmental education, fostering a more interconnected practice of living and learning in a time of ecological emergencies. Qualification is reconceptualized to include understandings that provide space for unknowing and mystery. Socialization is reimagined to include kin-making processes, while subjectification entails grappling with the difficult emotions surrounding ecological breakdown.