Author Information
African Rural Learning Ecologies
This paper contributes, through traversing contested notions of sustainability, social justice, development and food sovereignty, to discourses around creation of sustainable rural learning ecologies. There has always been at least in the realm of scientific discourse, an attempt to dissociate the natural or physical environment from the social and human environment. This trend did not only affect the two spheres of existence only. It is further imbued and spawned fragmented and pervasive terminology, practices and human thought. Drawing from the ‘creating sustainable rural learning ecologies’
research project that commenced in 2011, I challenge and contest the use of such discourses and argue for the transcendence of such. This would, in my opinion, create space for harmonious and fluid co-existence between nature and humanity, such that the contribution of learning practices exudes and expedites sustainability in rural ecologies.
Printer-friendly version- Dipane Hlalele's blog
- Login to post comments
- 172 reads
Click the image to visit site
Click the image to visit site
Comments
The Limerick contribution
The Limerick paper by Yvonne Lane (posted in the general blogs yesterday) draws on the Limerick experience following the decision to amalgamate Limerick city and county. Limerick provides a very case study of ways in which learning in urban and rural contexts can be connected.
Points I found of particular interest in the Limerick paper included:
- the five angles for connecting urban and rural learning initiatives although I wondered if digital technologies should be added;
- the comment on the impact of EU rural programs which "have changed the rural landscape and it could be argued that communities are now engaging in new farming, new artisan and craft product development, new ways of thinking and survival" These comments made me think about some of the remarks in the paper by Dipane Hlalele in his paper on sustainable learning ecologies in South Africa. Are there similar developments in South Africa that can be compared with these changes in Limerick? In China? Overall, a very useful contribution.