Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Grounded in an intersectional framework and the theoretical concepts of coloniality of knowledge and climate emotions, this study examines higher sustainability education in Uppsala (Sweden) and shows how it runs the risk of (re)producing racial injustices. Based on empirical data from two student surveys and a total of 15 interviews with teachers and students, the thesis shows that there are diverse and sometimes uncertain approaches to teaching sustainability and emotions; that sustainability education focuses primarily on critical thinking and training 'researchers', but leaves students - especially those from outside the EU - unprepared for other work; that emotional awareness is often lacking, negative emotions are significantly more prominent than positive ones, and emotional numbness appears among teachers and students who study sustainability for a longer time; and that sustainability education does not sufficiently address future dimensions. These findings reveal how higher sustainability education risks reproducing racial injustices by constructing class diversity, blurring the lines between diversity and intersectionality, and objectifying non-European students as a learning experience for others. The thesis also discusses how solutions could be implemented, highlighting the role of positive anticipatory thinking. Sustainability education is an ambiguous space with room for improvement, but most importantly, it needs to take seriously the risk of reproducing racial inequalities.