Anthropology and sustainable development

What is it about?

Critical reflection on education for sustainable development (ESD). Cross-cultural worldviews in relation to nature. Addressing problems related to environmental sustainability. Critical case study based on classroom ethnography. Understanding of sustainable development through classroom ethnography.

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Why is it important?

This article reflects on formal education for sustainable development (ESD), demonstrating how critical course on culturally diverse ways of relating to nature can contribute both to an appreciation of alternative ways of relating to nature and to a more nuanced understanding of one's own cultural and ideological positioning. This article will focus on the analysis of student reactions to the film Schooling the World, shown to students as part of this critical course. The film stimulated the discussion of the effects of Western-style education on indigenous communities. In their evaluation, the students have demonstrated their critical ability to look beyond their own neoliberal education and cosmopolitan culture. The course described in this article can serve as a blueprint for educational initiatives that combine both ethnographic insights and critical scholarship addressing environmental education and ESD.

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