Queering Identity Stereotypes in Environmental Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Expanding on Queer Research and Practice in Environmental Education

Abstract

This paper delves into identity and inherent bias grounded in assumptions about who environmental educators “are.” Whether it is the challenges faced by a gay man teaching at a youth residential camp, an outdoor educator who does not fit the physical stereotype of an adventure educator, or an outdoorsy-appearing educator who prefers teaching EE through indoor simulations, discussions, and policy, the strong stereotypes of who “should” be an environmental educator persist in the field (Russell & Fawcett, 2013). Using concepts of “dis-settling” from queer theory, we lay out and challenge the hypothesized relational structures of these inherent power relationships (Walker, 2009) and how these tend to draw ‘like’ people to EE.
We frame this work from two perspectives. First, theories of desire and challenges with body identification (Heyes, 2003), queer temporalities and motivation (Dinshaw, Edelman, et al., 2007), and stereotyping based on sex-role (e.g. Carrier, 2009) and race (Steele, Spenser & Aronson, 2002) serve as a base for the study. Second, we use parallel-constraint-satisfaction theory (e.g. Kunda & Thagard, 1996) and apply the concept of Law of Small Numbers to explore implications of the perceptions (Quattrone & Jones, 1980) and social identity threat (Steele, Spencer & Aronson, 2002) in projecting held stereotypes.
Grounded in critical engagement with literature addressing gender and queer theory within environmental education research (e.g. Gough, 2013; Gough & Gough, 2003; Newbery, 2003; Russell, Sarick, & Kennelly, 2002; Russell, 2013) and critical autoethnographic reflection, we analyzed stories obtained from professional EE colleagues. Having gathered both individual and shared stories over time informally, we then engaged in intentional discussions with colleagues to elicit stories both about self and about expectations perceived as shared for the field during an international research gathering. These stories were examined through critical lenses of identity, projection, and queer theories.
The shared images of environmental educators vary based on context: national park, nature center, wilderness, urban park, school, etc. Still, there are shared experiences of the “other”, of those who do not fit the shared contextual image(s), in the stories. Their individual experiences and collectively shared stereotypes lead to the question: how do we dis-settle the field of environmental education such that we more effectively dismantle the existing images of who, and how, is an environmental educator, particularly related to gender, body-type, race, and “degree of nature-ness.”
Even with the significant changes in society over the past 30 years related to gender identity, queer identity, body type, social role, etc., there persist mental images of who and what educators should be or look like as environmental educators in different settings. Such stereotypes are not quick to change, even in the context of major changes in wider social influences (Leuptow, Garovich-Szabo & Leuptow, 2001). These pervasive myths serve as expectations about the attributes and behaviors of individuals (Cleveland, Stockdate, & Murphy, 2000) and appear to influence those drawn to, and in, the field.

Authors

• Joe Heimlich, Center of Science and Industry

• Constance L. Russell, Lakehead University