Blue Hearts: ‘Connect, Respect, Protect’: Decolonising Western-centric Ocean Literacy towards an Environmentally Just Ecopedagogy for the Dutch Context
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2024-07-02
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en
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The Ocean experiences severe anthropogenic change, critically affecting global (marine) life on Earth. The Ocean’s absence in Dutch education results in many young Dutch learners becoming Ocean illiterate. To counter Ocean illiteracy, Western organisations develop global Ocean educational programs, like the European Blue School Project and the UN Ocean Literacy Framework. However, this thesis explores the degree to which these educational models are products of Western-centric epistemological dominance, which homogenises diverse societies, conforming them to Western environmental perspectives.
This thesis argues that such Western-centric epistemological dominance stems from a colonial legacy that marginalises non-Western worldviews. This oppression has denied the voices of those subjected to Dutch colonial rule, perpetuating prejudice and subordination in Dutch education. By challenging Western-centric Ocean educational dominance, this thesis empowers people who remain entangled in the Dutch colonial project and the epistemic oppression they face.
Finally, this thesis shows that Western-centric Ocean education prioritises human well-being and economic growth and exposes the continuous marginalisation of non-Western worldviews on the interconnectedness of humans and nature. This thesis recommends empowering non-Western epistemologies to challenge the inherent colonial legacy, aiming for the creation of a decolonial, just ecopedagogy that prioritises sustaining life over the economy for the Netherlands.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen