Environmental philosophies underlying the teaching of environmental education: a case study in India

Abstract

This study consists of two interdependent parts. First we categorise the environmental philosophies prevalent amongst environmentalists in India by comparing the way the environmental crisis is understood and what its causes and solutions are thought to be. In the second part, we use this categorisation for a case study of three high school science teachers in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Our aim is to find out what environmental philosophies underlay their teaching. In order to do this, we collected data by interviewing the teachers, observing their classrooms, and studying their textbooks. We then looked through our data for indications of the environmental philosophies found in part 1. Although the interviews showed some signs of Gandhian, Appropriate Technology, Eco-marxist, and other philosophies, in the classrooms the teachers adhered mainly to Ecological Modernisation and Eco-capitalist philosophies, and rarely expressed their own opinions. Despite progressive policy statements, the teaching was mainly textbook based, neglecting to consider systemic causes or solutions. One of the most significant findings was the prevalence of an idealist faith in a ‘Balance of Nature’ which was trusted to rectify upsets caused by human immorality.

Keywords:

• Environmental philosophy
• environmental education in India
• high school science textbooks
• balance of nature