ESD writings

Books

Our Common Illiteracy. Education as if the Earth and People Mattered 

This book is available under a Creative Commons Licence: you can read it online, browse through it, print it, download it for free. If you use it, please acknowledge your source. Thanks.

(it was originally published by Peter Lang, Frankfurt/M. et al., 2002 [= Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability, ed. by Walter Leal Filho; Vol. 10]). 364 pp. ISBN 3-631-39117-X, US-ISBN 0-8204-5483-4, ISSN 1434-3819.)

Our Common Illiteracy takes seriously the international consensus that Education for Sustainability (EfS) is crucial to the survival of humankind. It establishes the principles of a sustainable society and performs a rigorous assessment of the reasons for our unsustainable present. Only on that foundation, it is argued, can the role of education in the transition to a sustainable society be meaningfully assessed. Such an approach is by necessity complex, transdisciplinary and broad. It has to acknowledge the limited significance of education within contemporary society, along with other 'educators' such as the media, the economy and the shadow curriculum of institutional practice. The book ends with 28 practical strategies to foster Education for Sustainability. 

Read C.A. Bowers' review of the book here

Edited Books

Zeitgenössische Utopieentwürfe in Literatur und Gesellschaft. Zur Kontroverse seit den achtziger Jahren, ed. Rolf Jucker (Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi, 1997 [= Amsterdamer Beiträge zur neueren Germanistik, Bd. 41]). ISBN 90-420-0198-4 (hardback) / 90-420-0170-4 (paperback), 377 pp. [therein: 'Zur Kritik der realexistierenden Utopie des Status Quo', pp. 13-78 and 'Democracy, "End of History" and Pascal's wager. An Interview with Noam Chomsky', pp. 79-92.]

In einer Zeit, wo allerorten vom 'Ende der Utopie', dem 'Ende der Geschichte' gesprochen wird, obwohl sich gleichzeitig die größten weltgeschichtlichen Umwälzungen seit dem zweiten Weltkrieg vollziehen, in Bonn ein Zukunftsminister berufen wird und überall Technikutopien Urstände feiern, erscheint es als dringend notwendig, Konzepte wie jenes der Utopie erneut kritisch zu befragen. Gerade dann, wenn man das Gefühl haben mag, man habe ein Phänomen zu Ende gedacht, man habe es bewältigt, erweist es sich oft als am fruchtbarsten, nochmals einen Blick über die Schulter zu wagen, auf den Wissensberg, den man ausgewertet zu haben meint.
Da die Beschäftigung mit dem Thema Utopie immer mit der Frage nach gesellschaftlicher Relevanz zu tun hat, ob man sie den jeweiligen Texten nun zu- oder abspricht oder gar deren Möglichkeit grundsätzlich ausschließt, ergibt sich von vornherein eine spannungsgeladene, prekäre Beziehung zwischen Literatur und Gesellschaft.
Um dieser Tatsache Rechnung zu tragen, wurden folgende Fragen für das Projekt dieses Bandes leitend: Werden heute noch Utopien, Visionen einer anderen, veränderten Welt entwickelt? Sind dies neue Ansätze oder basieren sie auf älteren Ideen oder gar auf uralten Menschheitsträumen? Wie verhalten sich in der zeitgenössischen Literatur entwickelte Utopien inhaltlicher oder formaler Art zu sozialen Zukunftsvisionen? Sind literarische Utopien eskapistisch oder können sie sozialen Utopien neue Impulse verleihen oder von diesen Anregungen aufnehmen? Gibt es gewisse gesellschaftliche Ebenen, die in literarischen Visionen im Vordergrund stehen bzw. vernachlässigt werden? Ist Literatur gar durch ihre besonderen ästhetischen Eigenschaften per se utopisch? Oder hat zeitgenössische deutsche Literatur nichts mehr am Hut mit U- wie Dystopien?

 

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Articles in Books

  1. '"Gefälle in der Landschaft" – On the Critique of Real Existing Capitalism in Volker Braun's Texts', in Textual Responses to Unification. Processing Historical and Social Change in Literature and Film, ed. by Carol Anne Costabile-Heming, Rachel J. Halverson and Kristie A. Foell (Berlin; New York, de Gruyter, 2001), pp. 77-94. ISBN 3-11-017022-1.

  2. 'Toward Dematerialization', in Mindfulness in the Marketplace – Compassionate Responses to consumerism, ed. by Allan Hunt Badiner, foreword by Julia Butterfly Hill (Berkeley, CA, Parallax Press, 2002), pp. 261-269. ISBN 1-888375-24-8.

  3. (together with Stephen Martin & Gerald Dawe) 'Embedding Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education in the UK', in: Drivers and Barriers for Implementing Sustainable Development in Higher Education, Göteborg Workshop, December 7-9, 2005, ed. by J. Holmberg & B. E. Samuelsson (Paris: UNESCO, September 2006 [= Education for Sustainable Development in Action, Technical Paper N°3]), pp. 61-67. [available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001484/148466E.pdf].

  4. (together with Stephen Martin, Maureen Martin & Carolyn Roberts) 'Education and Sustainable Development – Learning to Last?', in: Innovation in Education, ed. by Jasmine E. Larkley & Viola B. Maynhard (New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2008), pp. 51-92. [see: https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6804].

  5. (together with Stephen Martin) 'Educating Earth-literate Leaders', in: Education for Sustainable Development. Papers in Honour of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), ed. by Brian Chalkley, Martin Haigh and David Higgitt (London; New York: Routledge, 2009), pp. 13-23. ISBN 10: 0-415-46005-0, ISBN 13: 978-0-415-46005-7.

  6. (together with Stephen and Maureen Martin) 'Quality and Education for Sustainable Development: Current Context and Future Opportunities', in: Handbook of Curriculum Development, ed. by Limon E. Kattington (New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2010), pp. 443-453. [=Series: Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World] ISBN 978-1-60876-527-0.

  7. 'Is a Systemic Education Transcending the 'I' Even Imaginable? Some Reflections from German-Speaking Europe', in: C. A. Bowers: Perspectives on the Ideas of Gregory Bateson, Ecological Intelligence, and Educational Reforms, with chapters by Rolf Jucker, Jorge Ishizawa and Grimaldo Rengifo (Eugene, Oregon: Eco-Justice Press, LLC, 2011), pp. 149-162. ISBN 978-0-9660370-0-5.

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Articles in Journals

  1. 'Hoffnung als Emanzipation des Menschen zum Tier. Anmerkungen zu Hans Henny Jahnns Fluß ohne Ufer, literatur für leser, (1995) 5, pp. 176-189. ISSN 0343-1657.

  2. '"Sustainability? Never heard of it!": some basics we shouldn't ignore when engaging in education for sustainability', International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE), 3 (2002) 1, pp. 8-18. ISSN 1467-6370.

  3. (together with Stephen Martin) 'Should the higher education sector embrace sustainability?', Environmental Scientist. Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, 11 (2002) 6, pp. 14. ISSN 0966-8411 [also available at: http://www.ies-uk.org.uk/resources/journalarch/envsci2002/Env%20Sci%20Dec%2002.pdf].  [republished in similar form in Challenge, Winter 2003, pp. 6-7, the environmentalist, No. 15, February 2003, pp. 31-32. ISSN 1472-7625, and in Sustainable Regions, 2 (2003) 3, pp. 3-4. ISSN 1478-226X  (including a Welsh translation under the title 'A ydym ni o ddifrif ynghylch Datblygu Cynaladwy? Pam fod angen i'r sector Addysg Uwch ddod â DC i'r brif-ffrwd'). An extended French version has appeared under the title 'Une vision pour une université durable' in LaRevueDurable, No. 8, Dec 2003/Jan 2004, pp. 48-52. ISSN 1660-3192.]

  4. 'UNESCO’s Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future: A critical evaluation of underlying unsustainable progress myths', The Trumpeter, 19 (2003) 2, pp. 83-107. ISSN 0832-6193 [also available at: http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/view/92/95].

  5. 'Have the cake and eat it: Eco-Justice versus Development? Is it possible to reconcile social and economic equity, ecological sustainability and human development? Some implications for Eco-Justice education', Educational Studies, 36 (2004) 1, pp. 10-26. ISSN: 0013-1946, Online ISSN: 1532-6993 [also available at: http://www.leaonline.com/toc/es/36/1]. {reprinted with slight modifications: as 'Having your cake and eating it: Eco-justice versus development', Environmental Scientist. Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, 14 (2005) 1, Sept./Oct., pp. 13-21. ISSN 0966 8411.}

  6. (together with Stephen Martin) 'What should a sustainable university education look like?', Environmental Scientist. Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, 13 (2004) 2, pp. 16-17. ISSN 0966-8411 [also available at: http://www.ies-uk.org.uk/resources/journalarch/envsci2004/Env%20Sci%20Oct%2004.pdf].

  7. (together with Stephen Martin) 'Educating Earth-literate Leaders', Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 29 (2005) 1, pp. 21–31. ISSN Print 0309-8265  ISSN Online 1466-1845.

  8. (together with David Hawkins) 'Education! What Education? Switzerland and the Challenge of Education for Sustainability', Environmental Scientist. Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, 16 (2007) 2, pp. 9-10. ISSN 0966-8411.

  9. 'Umweltbildung bedeutet zukunftsfähiges Handeln in der Gegenwart', natur+mensch, 52 (2010) 4, pp. 19-23. ISSN 0466-5899.

  10. 'ESD between Systemic Change and Bureaucratic Obfuscation. Some Reflections on Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development in Switzerland', Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 5 (2011) 1, pp. 39-60. Print ISSN: 0973-4082; Online ISSN: 0973-4074.

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Reviews

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Online Articles

  1. 'Toward Dematerialization: The Path of Ethical and Ecological Consumption, ON..., 12.1.1998 [also, slightly revised, as: Ethical and Ecological Consumption [part of the Celebration Project for Noam Chomsky's 70th Birthday].

  2. 'C.A. Bowers: Educating for Eco-Justice and Community', The Trumpeter, 18 (2002) 1. [HTML version].

  3. 'A Vision of a Sustainable University', paper presented to the Education for Sustainable Development: The Challenge for Higher, Further and Adult Education conference, 17 March 2003, University of Wales Swansea.

  4. 'Book Review: C. A. Bowers' Mindful Conservatism: Rethinking the Ideological and Educational Basis of an Ecologically Sustainable Future', The Trumpeter, 19 (2003) 3, pp. 118-120. ISSN 0832-6193. {also published in The EcoJustice Review "Educating for the Commons", (2004) 1, and as ‘Out of the Box’ in Resurgence, No. 227, November/December 2004, pp. 74-75.}.

  5. 'Between Stewardship and Simplicity: Parameters for Sustainable Communities', The EcoJustice Review "Educating for the Commons", (06/2005) [PDF].

  6. 'Definitions of SD and ESD, ESD pedagogy'

  7. 'Zwischen Vorsorge und Einfachheit: Leitbegriffe für zukunftsfähige Gemeinschaften'

  8. 'A Dummies' Guide to Education for Sustainable Development'

  9. 'EcoJustice Education: Communal Learning Beyond Capitalism', The EcoJustice Review "Educating for the Commons", (05/2008) [PDF].

     

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Reports (Drafts, Contributions, etc.)

  1. Welsh Assembly Government, Consultation Document on Education for Sustainable Development – A Strategy for Wales, Cardiff, 2005. ISBN 0 7504 3906 8. [available @ http://www.learning.wales.gov.uk/pdfs/esd-strategy-e.pdf] [Structure and chapter on HE]

  2. Gerald Dawe, Stephen Martin, Rolf Jucker, Sustainable Development in Higher Education: Current Practice and Future Developments. A report for The Higher Education Academy (York, The Higher Education Academy, November 2005) [available @ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/misc/sustdevinHEfinalreport.pdf]

  3. The Higher Education Academy, A progress report for Senior Managers in higher education, York: The Higher Education Academy, 2006 [Reihe: Sustainable development in higher education: Current practice and future developments]. ISBN 1-904190-96-0. [available @ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=22007&prompt=yes&filename=SUS_MAN] [Background research (see (b)) + findings]

  4. The Higher Education Academy, A progress report for employers, unions and the professions, York: The Higher Education Academy, 2006 [Reihe: Sustainable development in higher education: Current practice and future developments]. ISBN 1-904190-97-9. [available @ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=22006&prompt=yes&filename=SUS_EMP] [Background research (see (b)) + findings]

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