Greening education: A multidimensional power struggle

Antony Allen

The Ecological Citizen Vol 7 No 1 2024: 9–15 [epub-102]

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First published: 19 December 2023 | PERMANENT URL | DOWNLOAD CITATION IN RIS FORMAT

Abstract

Education can be understood as a process designed to further the discourses of those agents, both state and non-state, who enjoy positions of power. These discourses are often environmentally destructive – promoting human mastery over nature and technology as the solution to the ecological crisis. However, by 'greening' education, and empowering individuals as ecological citizens, it is possible to challenge these approaches and balance the inequalities of power that shape our society. Such an undertaking would seek to incorporate both the intrinsic and instrumental value of nature into decision-making processes and promote non-anthropocentric relationships with the more-than-human world.

Keywords

Anthropocentrism, Education, Human supremacy, Intrinsic value