Directionality towards planetary stewardship: From disconnection to relational praxis
ModulesDirectionality towards planetary stewardship: From disconnection to relational praxis
This short micromodule introduces learners to the visual and conceptual model of “directionality towards planetary stewardship” developed by Redvers et al. (2023). It prompts critical reflection on how institutions, knowledge systems, and personal attitudes either reproduce or resist dominant paradigms of disconnection. The exercise helps bridge the cognitive, affective, and relational shifts needed to move from disconnection to stewardship. It integrates Indigenous pedagogies, critical theory, and planetary health education frameworks.
By the end of this module, participants should be able to:
- Recognise the paradigm shift from extractivist/anthropocentric logics to relational, ecocentric orientations.
- Reflect on their own positionality and role as planetary stewards.
- Explore the role of emotion, compassion, and plural knowledge systems in transforming research and education practices.
- Identify actions to support inclusive, just, and relational planetary health education
What is this about?
Exploring the paradigm shift towards stewardship
Please read through the introductory PowerPoint presentation “From disconnection to planetary stewardship" (Please click on the bottom right of the slides to expand it to full screen and improve your experience).
PowerPoint presentation: From disconnection to planetary stewardship
Planetary stewards: from disconnection to ecocentric and inclusive orientations
Please take 10 minutes to hover over the figure and explore the concepts (from → to) interactively. (Please click on the top right of the image to expand it to full screen and improve your experience).
Explanation of Concepts in figure towards planetary stewardship (from -> to)
Reflexive Journaling
After exploring the image, consider the following guided reflection prompts
Reflexive Journaling from "disconnection" to "planetary stewardship"
References
1. Main source:
Redvers N, Faerron Guzmán C, Parkes M. (2023). Towards an educational praxis for planetary health: a call for transformative, inclusive, and integrative approaches for learning and relearning in the Anthropocene. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7, e77-e85.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00332-1
2. Foundational planetary health framing:
Whitmee, S., Haines, A., Beyrer, C., et al. (2015). Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: Report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health. The Lancet, 386(10007), 1973–2028. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60901-1
3. Ecologies of Knowledges (Chapter 7) + Intercultural Translation (Chapter 8):
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South: Justice against epistemicide. Routledge. (See Chapter 7 on “Ecologies of knowledges” and Chapter 8 on “Intercultural translation: Differing and sharing con passionalità”). https://unescochair-cbrsr.org/pdf/resource/Epistemologies_of_the_South.pdfRemarks
After completing this module:
- explore “Transformative research (part 1): Storytelling, reflection, and the power of reimagining academia” to translate paradigm shifts into research practice (to help you operationalise the paradigm shift introduced here)
- deepen with “Ethics of care and human-nature relations” to strengthen relational and care-based ethics (It provides the ethical principles behind relational praxis)
- revisit “Planetary health, human well-being and environmental justice” to ground stewardship in justice and health perspectives (the module explains the ethical urgency behind the shift to stewardship)
