Pedagogies of hope: teaching and learning in a time of crisis

Speaker: Dr Alice Beban, Senior Lecturer, Massey University, Aotearoa / New Zealand

This lecture and discussion is hosted by the Resources, Environment & Development Department at the Crawford School of Public Policy, as part of ongoing inquiry by students and faculty into crisis and hope. Our broad framing is around “the environment” - climate, biodiversity and ecological crises – but we recognise that these are not separate from other crises of our time in relation to knowledge, democracy, peace, community, equity, freedom of expression, human well-being, and planetary systems that underpin the conditions for life. Dr Beban will explore how critical pedagogies of hope can empower students with knowledge and skills to navigate troubled times.

Biography: Dr Alice Beban is a scholar, activist and educator known for her work in feminist political ecology, Asian studies, and environmental sociology. She is currently Senior Lecturer at Massey University, Aotearoa / New Zealand, and is the author of the award-winning book Unwritten Rule: state-making through land reform in Cambodia . While Dr Beban maintains her research in Cambodia, she has also developed a new body of work in relation to pedagogies of hope, for higher education and secondary school students in Aotearoa / New Zealand . Her lecture will present key insights into “critical hope” and how this has been mobilised in practice. This two-hour session will involve a keynote talk by Dr Beban, followed by interactive discussion.