A Conference of the German Rectors’ Conference, Hamburg, 12/13 December 2024 Call for Papers
Education for sustainable development (ESD, 4.7 UN SDGs, 14 Earth Charter) is seen as a key enabler of a global sustainability transformation and urgently needed to answer the multiple existential challenges humanity is facing. However, as a deeply cultural concept education may not only be the solution but also part of the problem: Humans altered Earth’s ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, exposing the fallacies of the long-held belief in Western(ized) societies that culture and nature exist independently of one another. There is a sneaking suspicion that the idea of a nature-culture-divide played a vital role in the emergence of the unpleasant state of the Anthropocene. Hence, it is time to bridge the culture-nature dichotomy, embrace pluralistic forms of knowledge and empower humans to view themselves as part of an interconnected world.
Therefore, the conference seeks to discuss questions such as:
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How can ESD critically assess the role of education systems and practices that contributed to the problems of the Anthropocene?
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How can ESD address the disparities in contributions to climate change and promote climate justice?
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How can ESD transcend the nature-culture divide and promote the re-imagination of humanity’s place in the world?
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How can ESD transform the way we create and share knowledge?
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What pedagogical strategies in ESD foster environmental and cultural stewardship among students?
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How can ESD integrate indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge as well as scientific approaches to bridge the nature-culture gap in the Anthropocene?
Please submit an abstract (max. 800 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentation outlining the title, objectives, methodology, key findings and significance of your research. In addition, please submit a short academic CV until 15 September 2024: bracker@hrk.de. Notification of acceptance will be given by 20 September 2024. For speakers, funds for partial reimbursement of travelling costs and accommodation are available.
Place and time: Warburg-Haus, Heilwigstr. 116, 20249 Hamburg/Germany, 12/13 December 2024 (in person only).
Organization: Jacobus Bracker, German Rectors’ Conference, Berlin. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.
2024-07-16 CfP - ESD beyond nature and culture.pdf (104,1 KB)