Capturing Transgressive Learning in Communities Spiraling towards Sustainability

Thomas Macintyre, Valentina C. Tassone and Arjen E. J. Wals
Additional contact information
Thomas Macintyre: Education and Learning Sciences group, Wageningen University, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
Valentina C. Tassone: Education and Learning Sciences group, Wageningen University, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
Arjen E. J. Wals: Education and Learning Sciences group, Wageningen University, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: This empirical paper addresses the need for more in depth understanding of signs and characteristics of transgressive learning in a context of runaway climate change. In a world characterized by systemic global dysfunction, there is an urgency to foster rapid systemic change which can steer our paths towards meeting the SDG goals. The contention of this paper is that, although there is a need for rapid change, it is fundamental to understand how such change can come about, so as to co-create and investigate learning environments and forms of learning that can lead to a systemic change towards sustainability. Anchored in the emerging concept of transgressive learning, this article employs the innovative Living Spiral model to track critical learning moments by facilitators and participants in multi-stakeholder Transformation Labs (T-Labs), which took place in 2017/2018 in various grassroots sustainability initiatives in Colombia and The Netherlands. The results of the analysis highlight the importance of the values of “acknowledging uncertainty”, “community”, and “relationality” in disrupting world-views through promoting reflexivity in participants and facilitators. This paper concludes that more research on the power dynamics of “absences” in transformative research is needed to better capture the challenges of overcoming sustainability challenges.

Keywords: transgressive learning; living spiral model; transformation labs; transformative learning; Colombia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/12/4873/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/12/4873/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:4873-:d:371691

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().