Educational nomadism for the Anthropocene: notes for future revolution

ABSTRACT This paper locates three movements for the future of education that will be mapped to understand how they impinge upon contemporary practice as disruptive yet potentially unifying forces; 1) The Anthropocene. The planetary boundaries hypothesis is one of the most proven scientific theories, yet contemporary education still fails to incorporate its most basic tenets into its operations - such as a move away from fossil fuel usage. This paper contends this is in part due to the continued domination of realist scientific epistemology backed by capital, which is not future or imaginary oriented, or able to incorporate deeper notions, such as enhanced connections to nature/change. 2) Nomadism. Given the tenets of the crossed planetary boundaries, and how they will cut supply chains, disrupt agriculture and power supplies, and put pressure on the global economy, a move to small scale, self-sufficient and moveable society is necessary. This paper will outline these combined elements for a future education as nomadism, which is differentiated from ‘the nomadic’, that we derive, for example, from Rosi Braidotti (2014). 3) Time. How long do we have left to implement these changes in educational practice? ‘Net zero for 2050’ is a common mantra that has been mobilized by governments and corporate PR departments to assuage citizens and clients that they are acting on climate change. This paper comprehends real time with respect to transformed and revolutionary educational practice.