Delearning Capitalism: Is Degrowth a Decolonial Perspective in Social Science Education?

Journal of Social Science Education. Bielefeld University Faculty of Sociology, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. Tel: +49-521-106-3985; Fax: +49-521-106-153986; e-mail: info@jsse.org; Web site: http://www.jsse.org/

Y

25

Foreign Countries; Preservice Teachers; Preservice Teacher Education; Decolonization; Social Sciences; Economics Education; Social Action; Social Justice; Student Attitudes; Ideology; Active Learning; Student Projects; Curriculum Development; Educational Change

1611-9665
1618-5293

Purpose: We aim to locate degrowth approaches within decolonial social science education and to establish relationships between economic beliefs in the social representations of future teachers and their educational projections. Design/methodology/approach: Theoretical approaches are developed to pinpoint the topic and focus on teachers' imaginaries concerning economic notions such as growth and degrowth. The social representations of teachers in training are analysed to explore their epistemological, formal, and decision-making implications. Findings: Critical views on growth and capitalism are related to acknowledging alternative economic paradigms and to a more critical, complex, action-oriented and justice-oriented projection of educational PBL. Supporters of degrowth are closer to decolonial perspectives in education. Practical implications: We should revise teacher training programmes to better train future teachers in decolonial perspectives. More emphasis on colonial and structural cause-effect complex dynamics of capitalism in socioenvironmental problems is required. The hegemony of neoliberal collective imaginaries should be questioned through social, historical and economic narratives.

As Provided

2025

EJ1457472