Lotz-Sistka, Heila; Price, Leigh

Critical Realism, Environmental Learning and Social-Ecological Change

The contemporary social-ecological condition is characterized by powerful changes in the way that we relate to each other and to the environment. The field of environmental education has been engaging with these ideas for some time, but with significant difficulties due to underlying commitments to untenable philosophical positions. However, critical realism offers possibilities that promise to overcome these difficulties and this book documents researchers' exploration of such potential.Southern and east Africa have been identified as regions of the world most at risk of the consequences of environmental degradation and therefore case studies from these regions provide a pertinent backdrop to the quest to achieve social-ecological resilience and sustainability through educational interventions. Critical Realism, Environmental Learning and Social-Ecological Change therefore introduces a decade of southern and east African critical realist environmental education research and thinking that asks the question: "How we can facilitate learning processes that will lead to the flourishing of the Earth's people and ecosystems?" This book will attract academics in the field of environmental education and education for sustainable development, professionals working in a development context, policy makers with an educational or environmental mandate and people who are interested in the practical application of the principles of critical realism.