University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2006 Toward eco -citizenship: A praxis for empowerment Penelope S. Morrow University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Morrow, Penelope S., "Toward eco -citizenship: A praxis for empowerment" (2006). Doctoral Dissertations. 326. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/326 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TOWARD ECO-CITIZENSfflP: A PRAXIS FOR EMPOWERMENT BY PENELOPE S. MORROW B.A., Hull University, Yorkshire, England, 1968 M.T.S., Harvard Divinity School, 1989 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources May 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3217435 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3217435 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2006 Penelope S. Morrow Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dr. Mimi Larsen Becker, Dissertation Director Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Dr. Funso S. Afolayan Associate Professor of History CO . C l ou^Lonn Dr. Elinor Gadon Visiting Scholar, Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University Rev. Dr. Westfall / Departing of Philosophy ' - £ ~ £ ^ j 4 • Ia J ^ Dr. Barbara White Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is my opportunity to thank all of you who helped bring this research project to fruition, finally. It has truly been a collaborative effort. My gratitude goes to my wise adviser, Dr. Mimi Becker, who took me on mid-stream; my initial inspiring adviser, Dr. Paul Brockelman, Emeritus; my esteemed committee; my phenomenal students, women and men (especially the 37 who enthusiastically participated in my study); and all my teachers. My heartfelt appreciation extends also to my family on both sides of the ocean, especially my calm and patient husband, Christopher; colleagues; my amazing administrative assistant, Micki C., who wove her magic even at weekends; to our three beautiful, healthy grandchildren on both sides of the world, who are the future, yet keep me grounded in the present; and last, and by no means least, the spirits who would not let me stop even when I thought I wanted to ... blessed be! iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 1 Borderlands. Who Am I as a Teacher/Researcher? Who Are My Students?.............................................................................. 5 Personal Background and Influential Teachers............................ 7 Who Are My Students?.................................................................. 19 The Classroom: Student W ords..................................................... 21 How Do I Set Up, Organize My Classroom Dynam ics? 25 1 THE PROBLEM ............................................................................ 29 Background: Western Civilization: The Enlightenment and How Our Patriarchal Attitudes and Behaviors Have Led to the Present Environmental Degradation........................................ 29 A Possible Direction towards a Solution........................................ 45 A Pedagogy of Possibility for the 21st Century.............................. 51 2 METHODS ..................................................................................... 59 My Lens—A M emo........................................................................ 65 My Concept Map and V alu es......................................................... 66 Memo on Personal Values and Identity/Subjective “I’s”............. 67 My Research Process ...................................................................... 70 3 AN EXPLORATION OF A PEDAGOGY/MODEL TOWARDS ECO-CITIZENSHIP........................................................................ 79 Part I: What Indigenous People’s Have to Teach Us/Being Part of All Creation, of the Earth Community of Beings—My Story and Learnings .................................................................. 82 Part II: An Emerging Model in the Students’ N arratives............. 95 Full Circle—Summation of Students’ W ords................................ 129 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER PAGE 4 CONCLUSION: FULL CIRCLE AND THE FUTURE .... 132 Findings ........................................................................................ 133 Revelations and Epiphanies: What Did I Learn from What My Students Learned?................................................................. 141 Conclusions and Recommendations.......................................... 152 REFERENCES............................................................................ 162 APPENDICES............................................................................ 168 Appendix A: IRB Approval Letter .................................... 169 Appendix B: Research Questions...................................... 170 Appendix C: Questionnaire................................................. 171 Appendix D: Permission Form .......................................... 173 Appendix E: Sources Cited: Student Respondents 174 Appendix F: Course Syllabus: Women’s Spirituality and Earth-Centered Religions............................................... 176 Appendix G: Case Study Interview #1 ................... 186 Appendix H: Case Study Interview # 2 .............................. 188 Appendix I: Case Study Interview # 3 ................................ 191 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT TOWARD ECO-CITIZENSHIP: A PRAXIS FOR EMPOWERMENT by PENELOPE S. MORROW University of New Hampshire, May, 2006 My teaching practice and research is about holistic education which assumes that, at some fundamental level, everything is connected. Holistic education is a philosophy, a worldview, that challenges the fragmented, reductionist, mechanistic and nationalistic assumptions of mainstream culture and education. The ultimate goal is to transform the way people look at themselves and their relationships in/to the world from a fragmented to an integrative perspective. This emerging paradigm can also be called ecological, evolutionary, spiritual and global. There is a growing belief that such education is fundamentally spiritual, in its search for wholeness. Western civilization has been dominated from its Graeco-Roman beginnings by separateness which was given philosophical legitimacy by Aristotelian logic and theological legitimacy by Augustine. The entire Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm is built on this reductionist, pragmatic philosophy. Many great scientific discoveries have resulted from this model. However, in the light of serious degradation to the biosphere, many scholars and physicists now recognize an implicit wholeness and connectedness. vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Our educational models need to reflect this unity and, as such, holistic education has the potential for transforming the world, each individual-in-relationship at a time. This dissertation explores and develops an emerging educational model aimed at helping students come to a deeper and broader ecological-spiritual awareness and attitude toward nature through a spiritual identification with it. I argue that this 'identification' actively facilitates and promotes a change in students' behaviour toward the environment and thereby supports a sustainable, ecological ethic. The model will be grounded in