Thinking differently: An education for the Anthropocene from Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of education and activism in the Anthropocene will be enriched by an embrace of non-hegemonic thinking. Lakshmi Ashram, a small girls’ school in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India, provides an object lesson in thinking differently: in an imbrication of education/research/activism. This article acknowledges a continuing lack of attention in the literature to local, cultural and place-based diversity in transformative learning for sustainable community. However, the central story in this article is not one of critique, but rather one of a Himalayan approach to creating the pedagogical conditions for transformation in thinking and behaviour, in a connected socio-ecological community. Writing across an intercultural space, the two authors describe their ethnographic methodologies, exploring the long-term impact of a Lakshmi Ashram education on students and inhabiting the pedagogical experience of the school. A seamless flow of socio-material practice between pedagogy, research and activism in the school’s educational approach speaks to a Gandhian philosophy-in-action that is worth considering as a contribution to global educational praxis in the Anthropocene. In telling this tale of one small school’s pedagogical philosophy, the authors aim not towards ideological posturing, but towards creating further openings in thinking differently in education.

Foundations of academic knowledge

“…Transdisciplinary thinking is drawing attention to ecological systems in terms of complex, relational, inter-and interdisciplinary knowledge (Capra, 2015). e need for holistic literacies that involve head, hands and heart is also a feature of new work on environmental education (Gandhi, 1937;Germein and Vaishnava, 2019). Intercultural pedagogies that celebrate cultural diversity while redressing inequalities are also required (Tilbury and Mula, 2009;Solis and Callanan, 2016;Mukherjee, 2017).…”

‘Over to you’: considering the purpose of education through a student-centred sustainability project

“…Whilst Education for Sustainability (EfS) projects do generally employ action-based, student-centred pedagogies, there is scant EfS research which is theorised by Biesta's model. Given that today's children have inherited humanity's environmental problems, it is important that education embeds the space to respond to students cries for change and support their capacity for action (Birdsall, 2010;Germein & Vaishnava, 2019;Malone, 2013;Prabawa-Sear & Baudains, 2011). Biesta (2008Biesta ( , 20152021) has challenged policymakers and teachers to move beyond a set of narrowly defined goals that can be measured through testing and reductive accountability regimes.…”