The role of education for sustainability in reinforcing or disrupting speciesism

Abstract

Speciesism has been studied in relation to sustainability as it has been observed to fuel the current ecological crisis by promoting the belief that human animals are superior to other species, therefore legitimising environmental destruction. Education, and in particular Education for Sustainability (EfS), are viewed as means to challenge this hierarchical and dualistic worldview, and instead advocate for a liberated, interconnected and sustainable future equally for both human and non-human animals.

Using an argumentative literature review, this thesis analyses peer-reviewed publications which discuss speciesism in EfS. It investigates the origins and definitions of speciesism and EfS, explores how certain educational frameworks reinforce and other pedagogies disrupt speciesist attitudes in the context of sustainability teaching, and evaluates strengths and weaknesses of literature.

The aim of this study is to fill the research gap in the field by jointly examining educational frameworks and pedagogies in relation to speciesism and specifically in the field of Education for Sustainability rather than in Education as a whole.

The findings reveal current applications of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as main framework used in EfS, may support speciesist beliefs given their anthropocentric focus and views on ecological justice. On the other hand, four relevant pedagogies emerged from the literature in contrast to speciesism: (1) Ecocritical Pedagogies; (2) Critical Animal Pedagogies; (3) Common World Pedagogies; and (4) Humane Education. Their anti/inter/multispecies approaches are recognised as potential devices to counter speciesist attitudes. Empirical and theoretical recommendations for further research are provided with the aim of strengthening the anti/inter/multispecies resistance against the mainstream Education for Sustainability.