Why a critical pedagogy of place is an oxymoron

TheLord of the Rings– amythosapplicable in unsustainable times?

“…It might also be hoped that the renewed popularity of LOTR provides a reason for young people to actually get back into the landscape and the emerging 'place based education' (PBE) movement (Gruenewald and Smith 2008) has much to commend it in this respect. However, PBE is itself a contentious issue within environmental education scholarship as demonstrated by the lively exchanges in a recent issueVolume 14, Number 3 -of this very journal (e.g., Bowers 2008;Greenwood 2008;Smith 2008;Stevenson 2008). Indeed efforts are being made, sometimes dubiously, to connect Middle-earth with real world places such as the New Zealand tourist industry, the Sierra Norte de Madrid region of Spain or the countless attempts by fanatical fans at recreating Middle-earth in 'live action role-playing' (LARP) games.…”

Curriculum Making as the Enactment of Dwelling in Places

“…Stevenson, 1987, Huckle, 1996; the typing of "positivist", "interpretivist" and "socially critical" epistemologies (e.g Robottom andHart, 1993, Fien, 1993); the possibilities of post-structural approaches (e.g. Payne, 1997, 1999, Somerville, 2010; the merits and difficulties of combining a range of epistemologies in accounts of pedagogical practice (Bowers, 2008, Gruenewald, 2003.…”

Editorial Introduction: Recognizing the Rural

“…In accordance with Thomas, Lowe, Fulkerson, and Smith (2011), they regard distance from urban influence as an enabler for flexibility, experimentation, and innovation that support local communities. For example, place-based education theorists promote curricula that focus on local histories (Bowers 2008), geographies, and culture in order to provide authentic, relevant, experiential, and community learning experiences with which to engage students (Green and Corbett 2013;Schafft and Youngblood Jackson 2010;Sobel 2005;Theobald 1997). Such curric-ula, they contend, help disaffected students appreciate and invest in their communities, hopefully contributing to their sustainability and flourishing (Gruenewald 2003a(Gruenewald , 2003bTheobald and Nachtigal 1995).…”