World, planet, territory: toward a geo-logic in the critical sociology of education

Despite proliferating attention within the social sciences toward the sources and consequences of climate change and environmental crises, educational sociologists have been slow to confront ecological questions. This omission may seem surprising given the prominence of global perspectives within the field. However, we argue, such a focus is emblematic of the discipline's sociocentrism and anthropocentrism. Against such a reified sense of the field's conceptual and analytic purview, this paper reads ecology into educational sociology, with the aim of theorizing a 'geo-logic' basis for future scholarship. If critical sociology of education is to maintain its relevance in the Anthropocene, the discipline must attend to ecological problematics. Building on three recent contributions to socio-ecological thought, we explain the necessity of an ecological attunement in critical sociology of education. To serve this call, we offer a theoretical revision of key disciplinary commitments, clearing new pathways for educational sociologists to do this crucial work.

Automated summary

Despite the increasing attention paid to climate change and environmental crises in the social sciences, educational sociologists have been slow to address ecological issues. This paper argues for the integration of ecology into educational sociology to provide a 'geo-logic' basis for future scholarship. By revising key disciplinary commitments, educational sociologists can better attend to ecological problematics and maintain relevance in the Anthropocene.