Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies
Recent scholarship has explored the concept of “wilding pedagogies” to more deeply engage the more-than-human world in environmental and outdoor adventure education. Thus far, the scholarship around wild pedagogies has been primarily epistemic and pedagogical, focusing on epistemological principles...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Australian Journal of Environmental Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0814062625000217/type/journal_article |
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| author | Amy E. Smallwood |
| author_facet | Amy E. Smallwood |
| author_sort | Amy E. Smallwood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent scholarship has explored the concept of “wilding pedagogies” to more deeply engage the more-than-human world in environmental and outdoor adventure education. Thus far, the scholarship around wild pedagogies has been primarily epistemic and pedagogical, focusing on epistemological principles that can guide pedagogy. There has been less focus on ontological considerations for wild pedagogies. This paper offers a theoretical exploration into such ontological considerations that can further inform the practice of wilding pedagogies in outdoor adventure education. The emergence of (new) materialism coupled with an increasing awareness of Indigenous philosophy has problematised many of the ontological assumptions embedded within Eurocentric philosophical ideals. Challenging dualisms and the traditional boundaries of substance, these philosophies consider relations as ontologically primary. From this ontological posture, we can engage with the phenomenon that exists in the space between humans and nature, thinking with nature rather than about nature and recognizing the agency of the more-than-human world. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2eed995c757491ca010e9716ce76276 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0814-0626 2049-775X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Australian Journal of Environmental Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2eed995c757491ca010e9716ce762762025-08-20T03:40:28ZengCambridge University PressAustralian Journal of Environmental Education0814-06262049-775X2025-05-014114415510.1017/aee.2025.21Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding PedagogiesAmy E. Smallwood0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7996-1522Department of Applied Human Sciences, Center for Environmental Education, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, USARecent scholarship has explored the concept of “wilding pedagogies” to more deeply engage the more-than-human world in environmental and outdoor adventure education. Thus far, the scholarship around wild pedagogies has been primarily epistemic and pedagogical, focusing on epistemological principles that can guide pedagogy. There has been less focus on ontological considerations for wild pedagogies. This paper offers a theoretical exploration into such ontological considerations that can further inform the practice of wilding pedagogies in outdoor adventure education. The emergence of (new) materialism coupled with an increasing awareness of Indigenous philosophy has problematised many of the ontological assumptions embedded within Eurocentric philosophical ideals. Challenging dualisms and the traditional boundaries of substance, these philosophies consider relations as ontologically primary. From this ontological posture, we can engage with the phenomenon that exists in the space between humans and nature, thinking with nature rather than about nature and recognizing the agency of the more-than-human world.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0814062625000217/type/journal_articleAgencyhuman-nature relationsindigenous ontologyplace-inclusive pedagogyrelational ontology |
| spellingShingle | Amy E. Smallwood Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies Australian Journal of Environmental Education Agency human-nature relations indigenous ontology place-inclusive pedagogy relational ontology |
| title | Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies |
| title_full | Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies |
| title_fullStr | Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies |
| title_short | Embracing Agency: Ontological Considerations for Wilding Pedagogies |
| title_sort | embracing agency ontological considerations for wilding pedagogies |
| topic | Agency human-nature relations indigenous ontology place-inclusive pedagogy relational ontology |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0814062625000217/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amyesmallwood embracingagencyontologicalconsiderationsforwildingpedagogies |