A geographical frame for education in the Anthropocene

From human-centered learning to pedagogical spaces of enchantment

Authors

• Noora Pyyry Helsingin yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.111742

Keywords:

agency of the event, Anthropocene, education, enchantment, experimentation, hanging-out-knowing

Abstract

The concept of Anthropocene questions the role, actions and responsibilities of humans living on Earth. The approach has consequences to how we should approach education. To combat the illusion of a detached, individual human who governs the world and gains knowledge about it while standing apart from it, the paper approaches learning as a spatial process of joint participation. This framing calls for educators to critically examine what knowledge and knowing are, how these concepts emerge in different geographical situations, and herewith to resist the instrumentalization and economization of education. The paper claims that educators should make space for ””, a mode of openness toward the eventfulness of the world. Encouraging play and experimentation, it is possible to create momentary ”pedagogical spaces of enchantment”: events of hesitation before the already-known from which alternative horizons may open. This is crucial at a time when young people are living under constant individual pressures and facing dark global scenarios, as enchantment is linked with both new knowledge and care for the world.