Toward a critical peace education for sustainability

Abstract

This article proposes the need for peace education as a field to embrace critical power analysis of place in efforts toward social and environmental sustainability. Rather than status quo reproduction, a critical peace education for sustainability should both elucidate and transform the power dynamics inherent in structural violence and cultural violence. The inherent rights of people, plants, and ecosystems to live with dignity and to prosper are proposed. Practically speaking, the article offers perspectives from a critical pedagogy of place and an earth connections curriculum unit as vehicles for transformative education.

Keywords:

• ecology
• sustainability
• critical peace education
• critical pedagogy of place
• place-based education

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Carol Nash for introducing me to critical pedagogy of place and I would like to thank Alison Bodkin for help comments on a near final draft of this article. I would also like to dedicate this article to my future grandchildren and their great grandchildren.