locating and reordering discourses - environment
TRANSCRIPT
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LOCATING AND RE-ORDERING DISCOURSES, AN IMPERATIVE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
DECEMBER 2-4, 2013; NEW ZEALAND DISCOURSE CONFERENCE, AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Maria Mercedes “Ched” Arzadon [email protected]
University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
My pedagogical lens
Nonformal Education, Critical Pedagogy, Emancipatory and Participatory Learning
Beyond transmission and schooling model, education as collective and dialogical action and social change (La Belle 1976, Freire 1972, Morrow&Torres
2002)
Deals with power, inequity and marginalization
o How are they construed, normalized/legitimized, resisted, inculcated through discourse
o Environment related inequities
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University of the Philippines
Aim of the study
This paper explored the dynamics of environmental care discourses in a peri-urban village in the northern part of the Philippines. Teachers, students and local leaders mobilized the whole village to revive its dead river (dumping site of industrial and household waste)
What environmental care discourses were found in the community and where did they come from? What representations did they create? How were they enacted and inculcated?
University of the Philippines
Data set
Ethnographic data (one year)
o Participant observation
o Interviews with community leaders, teachers, residents, government officials, NGOs
o Documentary analysis
Critical Discourse Analysis -Fairclough’s three-tiered framework
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University of the Philippines
Managerial and Populist
Managerial discourse -blames local people, poverty, and overpopulation for environmental degradation and for solutions, looks up to international environmental pacts and regulations, market initiatives, compensation payments, technology and knowledge transfer.
Populist discourse -blames the root of environmental problems on imbalance of power perpetuated by postcolonialism, globalization, and capitalism.
(Adger et al 2001)
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University of the Philippines
Waste life cycle analysis
end-of-pipe – waste management, energy recovery
back-end-of-pipe – waste minimization
University of the Philippines
It started with a dream to revive a biologically dead river
Bued River was once used for bathing, fishing and recreation
1965 – a multinational cola bottling plant began polluting the river. Residents followed
Signature smell
Collective action – cleaning the river, pressuring the cola plant, teaching household waste management
Village council, teachers, HS students
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University of the Philippines
Don’t bother, it’s only for the expert
“The pollution officer of the Cola company said so many things to us, very technical-sounding; we could not understand anything since we are not chemical engineers.” (a village official narrating about their confrontation with the Cola company).
“You should not bother to understand the meaning of the water sample testing procedure, that is only for the chemist.” (Environment office personnel)
University of the Philippines
Environmental Care as techno-managerial discourse
Compliance to national and international (ex: ISO) standards (facilities, systems, tools)
Market-based instruments - “There’s cash in trash”
“Consultants from Manila (capital city)”
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University of the Philippines
Discursive strategies
Use of English technical terms
Official version of the truth is determined by water test sample results, invalidating what the residents can see and smell
Discourse of blame and anxiety
o People as waste generators
o Unable to control urges to procreate
University of the Philippines
Waste processing facilities
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University of the Philippines
Zero-waste and zero machines
“It was so hard to make the people understand the real meaning of ecological waste management. They thought that it means having to buy machines right away. What is more important is that people learn to manage their waste at home” (teacher)
“Building the material recovery facility should come later. It is not even necessary. What is crucial is that people learn how to manage their waste” (village council head)
University of the Philippines
Environmental Care as Eco-Spirituality
“Our environmental education is different because we provide a spiritual foundation.” (teacher)
“We are successful because people have internalized…I hope that it will do its work in their hearts.” (village council leader)
“Nuong nag-environment ako” (The moment that I became environment) – (high school students)
Anthropocentric vs eco-centric environmentalism
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University of the Philippines
Eco-Champions
Teacher Janet, Kapitan Dion, Teacher Lyn
University of the Philippines
Environmental Care as Communitarian discourse
“When we were young, we used to play at the river at all times. After going to church, we would immediately proceed to the river. We would not play along the way; we would wait until we reached the river… Crabs, frogs, shrimps and milkfish were abundant… It was in 1965 when it started to get dirty” (the year the cola plant was erected)
“Now people are planting vegetables by the river, they also built huts for picnics.”
Tree planting, community clean-up
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University of the Philippines
DOMINANT DISCOURSESTECHNO-MANAGERIAL
COUNTER-DISCOURSESECO-SPIRITUAL -COMMUNITARIAN
Environment Objectified Sinkhole /dumpsite For sale to the highest bidder
nurturing place/ rendezvousco-equal with humans
People in the Community
“waste generators” Consumers of expensive technology Needing directives from agencies, incapable
Protectors of the environment Knowledgeable and capable One with the environment
EnactmentsPolicies, standards “ISO Certified”Waste facilities/machines (sanitary landfills) Industrial structuresWaste CO2 emission targets
Household-based zero waste lifestylecollective action
Environmental Care Discourses
University of the Philippines
Educative Process
DOMINANT DISCOURSETECHNO-MGRL /ECONOMIC
COUNTER-DISCOURSESECO-SPIRITUAL /COMMUNITARIAN
Sites of learning You come to us
Seminar halls
Occurs in school and communityWe come to you (homes, neighborhood)Informal (“just like chatting”)
Pedagogy “Is it implemented?”Top-down
Environmental concepts in English, use of technical terms
Only accredited trainers Study tours to examine showcase
“Is it internalized?” Dialogical (connecting to local realities)Uses the local language Shares teaching function with students, garbage collectors, community leaders
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University of the Philippines
Concluding thoughts
New climate change related inequities /climate change justice / solidarity
Need to problematize UNESCO’s “Education for Sustainable Development” (Kopnina 2012)o Obscures the environmental issue
o ESD does not fully recognize how economic development is affecting the ecological health of the biosphere”
o Anthropocentric
University of the Philippines
Thank you for helping the Philippines!
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University of the Philippines
Sources
Adger, W. N., Benjaminsen, T. A., Brown, K. and Svarstad, . A., Brown, K. and Svarstad,H. (2001) H. Advancing a political ecology of global environmental discourses. Development and Change 32: 681-715.
Fairclough, Norman (2002). Language in New Capitalism. Discourse and Society. Vol.13(2). March, 2002. Discourse and Society 13(2). Sage Publications.
Freire, Paulo (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Seabury Press
Kopnina, Hellen (2012): Education for sustainable development (ESD): the turn away from ‘environment’ in environmental education?, Environmental Education Research
La Belle, Thomas J. Goals and Strategies of Nonformal Education in Latin America. Comparative Education Review 20 (October 1976): 328-45. 219
Morrow, R and Torres, C (2002). Reading Freire and Habermas: Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Social Change. Teachers College Press
Platt, B., Ciplet, D., Bailey, K & Lombardi, E 2008. Stop Trashing the Climate. http://community-wealth.org/content/stop-trashing-climate
Ryerson, William (2003). Sixteen Myths About Population. Population Media Center. Accessed: February 21, 2006. http://www.populationmedia.org/issues/sixteen_myths/myths3.html