Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This thesis brings together perspectives from commoning literature, a critique of neoliberal capitalism, and alternative education exemplified through pedagogical gardens. It assumes the starting position that neoliberal capitalism is destructive to our common planet, through processes of expropriating and accumulating resources for limited social use in devastatingly unsustainable ways. Formal education is implicated in the reproduction of neoliberal capitalism. However, previous research highlights how commons and commoning can serve as alternative modes of production, in part because of their collective organisation of resources and work. This thesis combines these different theoretical strands into a qualitative exploration of how pedagogical gardens, through offering commoning experiences, can challenge this reproduction of neoliberal capitalism. In other words, it aims to study the potential of a “commoning education”. Based on interviews and participant observation, this study finds that pedagogical gardens have the potential to challenge neoliberal capitalism through: i) inclusive and collective work opportunities, ii) need-based collective distribution, iii) which both serve to foster relationships and build connections. However, pedagogical gardens, like commons, create patterns of inclusion and exclusion, which demand ongoing attention.