Education for Sustainable Development in the ‘Capitalocene’

Book excerpt: The book seeks to explore ways in which education research, policy and practice ought to be re-thought and re-enacted under present bio-political predicaments. It brings together scholars working in the intersections of education for sustainable development, philosophy of education and curriculum theory who contribute original and radical analyses of education in an increasingly unpredictable and unintelligible world. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), humanity is closer to irreversible tipping points that, once reached will lead to accelerating transformations that will drastically change life on earth during the coming decades. Responses from education studies to these precarious social-ecological conditions range from pointing out necessary ways forward for education grounded in human accountability, responsibility, justice, ethics, and care; to dark ecology-oriented interventions unnerving the very premises that education relies on. When education is deeply entangled with, and contributing to, a catastrophic global development, the idea of education as a nostalgic promise for a common good and a better future comes under scrutiny. This volume re-configures education as inextricable from other anthropogenic threats and natural forces that seem to become increasingly intertwined in joint production of our current predicament. It urges educational theorists, practitioners, and policymakers to engage with thinking, practicing, and revolutionizing educational futures. The chapters in this book were originally published in the journal Educational Philosophy and Theory.