Breaking the Climate of No Alternatives: Power of Utopian Methodology

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Often energized by desire and hope for better futures, education can be utopian by nature, and our current times call for new alternatives to address the persistent global social, ecological and educational crises. Yet, today’s educational research and practice have been dominated by pragmatic concerns about improvement of measured learning outcomes. Proposals for radical alternatives are, today, often considered impractical day dreaming at best and dangerous blueprints at worst.

Drawing on and further developing cultural-historical activity theory, this symposium argues for embracing utopian methodology in educational research. As sustainable institutional change requires democratic dialogue and nuanced understanding of how institutions work, this symposium will foster reflection, dialogue and understanding about utopias and utopian methodology for just and sustainable systematic transformation.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Cultural-Historical Research

Chairs

• Michael Cole, University of California - San Diego

• Antti Juhani Rajala, University of Oulu

• Beth Ferholt, Brooklyn College - CUNY

Papers

• Pedagogy of Concrete Utopias: Fostering Students' Climate Activism and Civic Engagement - Antti Juhani Rajala, University of Oulu; Moises Esteban Guitart, University of Girona

• Playworlds as Utopian Methodology: Creating Teacher-Researcher Collaborative Research-Teaching Through Adult-Child Joint Play - Beth Ferholt, Brooklyn College - CUNY; Anna Pauliina Rainio, University of Helsinki

• Learning Lab: An Enacted Utopia Through the Fourth-Generation Activity Theory - Aydin Bal, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Buen Vivir as Utopian Methodology: Reflections From Voces y Manos, Youth Program in Rural Guatemala - Michael Bakal, University of California - Berkeley; Kimberly Vinall, University of California - Berkeley

Discussants

• Angela N. Booker, University of California - San Diego

• Shirin Vossoughi, Northwestern University