Human–animal relations beyond the zoo: the quest for a more inclusive sustainability education

Abstract

This study investigates human–animal relations in sustainability education. To understand what educational relationships and boundaries are challenged and/or strengthened in education promoting future sustainable societies, we argue that educational theory and practice must move beyond the anthropocentric framework’s sole focus on relationships between humans. Drawing on focus group interviews with teacher instructors at eight Swedish universities, we discuss cases in which sustainability education benefits from being understood as crafted via human–nonhuman relations. By concentrating on human–animal relations, we discuss the political and ethical implications arising from relationships being created in certain ways and not others. The empirical examples illustrate how the relations between teacher instructors and various animals can be a critical starting point for understanding the limitations and possibilities fostered by sustainability education.

Keywords:

• human–animal relations
• sustainability education
• feminist posthumanities
• philosophy of education
• teacher education
• focus groups

Notes

1. Citations of and quotations from Biesta (2006a) refer to our translations of passages from the Swedish version of his book Beyond Learning: Democratic Education for a Human Future (see, e.g. Biesta 2006b).