Crafting sustainability? An explorative study of craft in three countercultures as a learning path for the future

Abstract

This article explores and seeks to identify what ‘crafting sustainability’ could mean in relation to education for sustainable development (ESD). Certain ESD craft pedagogies are explored in three countercultures (from 1900, 1968 and 2017). The empirical data consists of literature from or about these three countercultures. A broad notion of sustainability and the educational philosophies of perennialism, essentialism, progressivism and reconstructivism are used as theoretical frameworks. The findings show the countercultures’ educative craft purposes, craft skills and approaches to learning craft and the possible implications for ESD. In particular, three tensions concerning the implications of an ESD craft pedagogy are discussed.

Keywords

• craft
• sustainability
• education for sustainable development
• pedagogy
• countercultures