Learning-based transformations towards sustainability: a relational approach based on Humberto Maturana and Paulo Freire

Transgressing Boundaries between Community Learning and Higher Education: Levers and Barriers

“…There is an increased recognition that this cannot be done in piecemeal, add-on and ad-hoc ways-for example, through sustainability courses-but rather calls for approaches that are both more radical and more holistic [64]. Latin American decolonization discourse seems to be highly congruent with the radical critical element of this re-orientation [65], while discourses on learning-based transformations and more relational forms of collective learning seem to be congruent with the holistic element [66].…”

“…The course focus of Turismo de Origen was to ground a decolonial discourse in the local contexts of the three participating communities, aiming to valorize and bridge traditional, ancestral and academic forms of learning in the development of practical projects, which support participant needs and requirements. This involved engaging in dialogue with academia, and promoting transformative interactions between people and places as important principles for generating collective learning experiences [66].…”

Learning in, with, and through the Territory: Territory-Based Learning as a Catalyst for Urban Sustainability

“…While this multi-dimensional framework was considered, the focus of the analytical work and the discussion was on the collective dimension. Particularly, the transformative and social learning processes that took place in the Taquara Stream case within the leading group of the initiative were investigated, see [18,19].…”

“…It implies diverse modes of collaboration, forms of appropriation, and power relations [15,16]. From this standpoint, we argue that initiatives aiming at the transformation of the harsh reality engendered by the degradation of urban rivers must be comprehended not just in terms of the desired concrete biophysical changes they should achieve but as actions embedded in territories that deal with territorial issues and all the complexity conveyed by this notion.The search for solutions to such territorial problems implies collaborative efforts and the crossing of boundaries established by actors that act relatively independently from diverse spheres of knowledge and practice [9,11,[17][18][19]. Such boundary crossing can take place when a group composed of representatives of different social actors act in concert, interact and conduct dialogue, critically reflect together, and collectively learn [20,21] so as to co-create sustainability-oriented solutions to tackle urban river-related issues.…”

“…The search for solutions to such territorial problems implies collaborative efforts and the crossing of boundaries established by actors that act relatively independently from diverse spheres of knowledge and practice [9,11,[17][18][19]. Such boundary crossing can take place when a group composed of representatives of different social actors act in concert, interact and conduct dialogue, critically reflect together, and collectively learn [20,21] so as to co-create sustainability-oriented solutions to tackle urban river-related issues.…”