Revisiting the democratic paradox in environmental and sustainability education: sustainability issues as matters of concern

Written by Katrien Van Poeck, Gert Goeminne.
Related to Sustainability Education.

In this article, we address the democratic paradox in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) by drawing on Bruno Latour’s conceptual distinction between ‘matters of fact’ and ‘matters of concern’ and the notion of attachments that goes with it. We present an analysis of three cases (nature excursions, workshops that promote ecological behavioural change and making documentary films) focusing on how diverse educational practices deal with sustainability issues as matters of fact, matters of value and/or matters of concern. We examine how these Latourian concepts incite an analysis of educational practices that enriches the discussion about the democratic paradox in ESE. This finally brings us to point out how a concern-oriented ESE might take shape.

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