Expanding on Queer Research and Practice in Environmental Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

Establishing a sustained and sustainable research agenda on LGBTQ issues and queer thought in environmental education requires a move beyond existing invitations for theory and scholarship and into the realm of data collection, empirical study, practitioner inclusion, and deeper questioning. This session critiques the underlying heteronormativity of environmental education practice and research by addressing issues of identity politics, stereotypes, advocacy, vulnerability, and praxis. The four papers presented each provide theoretical and empirical analyses of queerness in environmental education as a whole, suggesting that queer thought and LGBTQ experiences might provide diverse and democratic insights for pedagogically engaging with nature and promoting sustainability for all.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Environmental Education

Chair

• Joshua James Russell, Canisius College

Papers

• Queering Environmental Education: Beyond Identity Politics - Stefan Bengtsson, Uppsala University

• Queering Identity Stereotypes in Environmental Education - Joe Heimlich, Center of Science and Industry; Constance L. Russell, Lakehead University

• Queer Commitments in Environmental Education: Orientating Around Perceived Barriers - Joshua James Russell, Canisius College

• The Practice of Queering Environmental Education - Megan C. McGinty, University of Washington - Seattle