Ecocritical pedagogies and curriculum

This encyclopedia entry introduces an ecocritical framework that works toward localizing curriculum in accordance with diversity, interdependence, multispecies equity (both toward social and environmental justice), and Earth Democracy (Shiva, 2015). It is our hope that such an effort in curriculum offers the opportunity to introduce ecocritical pedagogies that critically address and rethink current dominant power/knowledge frameworks constituting classrooms, schools, and communities. Building on critical efforts to address the ways in which racism, sexism, classism, ableism, etc. work systemically in dominant culture, the authors share how anthropocentrism—in connection with assumptions of human supremacy—becomes a distinguishable focus in an ecocritical framework to disrupt/interrupt conceptions of decision-making framed in individualistic and human-supremacist worldviews. To conclude, the authors share actions toward imagining and implementing an ecocritical pedagogy and curriculum that is organized bioregionally and in support of cultural and biological diversity.