Justice-based Pedagogies Focusing on Rights of Nature and Taking Nature as Our Beloved Family

• In Event: Presidential Invited Session: Sustainability Education: Comparative practices for justice-based, planetary pedagogies

Proposal

In my presentation, I will discuss horrendous harms humans have inflicted on other species. I
will debunk anthropocentric ideas about human-nature hierarchy putting humans above all other
species. I will critique rampant capitalist greed leading to destruction of nature. I will posit
nature as intelligent and equal citizens of Earth, study the nature rights movement, and explore
justice-based pedagogies which heed the voices of nature, argue and speak on behalf of nature,
engage holistic practices to connect with nature and to revive Indigenous ways of knowing and
being, aiming to cultivate sense of interbeing and eco- cosmos-ubuntu consciousness in learners.
I will share an example in which actions were taken on behalf of nature, imagining a new world
with new values, new languages, taking nature as our teachers and beloved Mother.

Author

• Jing Lin, University of Maryland, College Park