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Abstract
This paper chronicles students’ experiences of transformative sustainability learning through ‘epistemological stretching’ – a pedagogical orientation which focuses on expanding the ways of knowing that someone respects, understands, and/or engages with. With a particular emphasis on decolonizing relations between humans and the more-than-human, epistemological stretching enables students to articulate and critically engage with the epistemologies of their academic fields, gain new(old) perspectives on relations with the more-than-human, and interact with Indigenous knowledges in more effective and ethical ways. Students in this study experienced powerful learning outcomes in the following areas: reconceptualization of relationships, acknowledgement and deconstruction of power, and worldview bridging. Some students also received validation for ways of knowing that they previously engaged in but were unsure about expressing in academic contexts.
Acknowledgements
We offer much gratitude to all-our-relations in Treaty 6 territory, and to the Indigenous Elders who have provide guidance along the way: Danny Musqua, Harold Gatenzby and Randall Tetlichi. We also offer thanks to the research participants, as well as Colleen James, Lisa Lipsett and Bryan Maracle, for their timely wisdom at various stages of this project.
Notes
1. In our use of the term ‘decolonize’ we acknowledge the recent arguments regarding the use of decolonization as a metaphor (Tuck and Yang Citation2012) Yet we also recognize that decolonization is required not only for Indigenous peoples but for non-Indigenous peoples as well. In the context of this project, the revisioning (for some) and remembering (for others) relational ways of being with the more-than-human, is the focus of our decolonizing efforts.