No Place like Home: Ecological Destruction and Loss of Knowing in Late Modernity

This thesis argues that our culture is grounded in fundamental ontological error. This error posits human being as a form of being that is separate from the other-than-human world, its mortal and fleshy confines. Drawing on the insight of Gregory Bateson, I propose that insofar as ontology and epistemology are inextricably entwined, error in one implies error in the other. Thus the consequence of our faulty ontology is that epistemological error is built into the system. The danger of systemic epistemological error is that, as a culture, we rely on our ways of knowing to find solutions to cultural/social/ecological problems. Yet where our ways of knowing are themselves erroneous, recourse to these, simply further perpetuates problems and at the same time deepens error. This is particularly the case where recourse to systemic correctives to such error have been lost – where ethical knowing (at the level of culture) and a perspective giving and defining relationship with nature and the sacred are not available to the system. Where these correctives are not available, the dominant knowing multiplies, a spreading pandemic across the landscape, suppressing and eradicating other ways of knowing and thus, other ways of being. A key result of this is the diminishing capacity, at the level of culture, to detect this epistemological (and ontological) error. The norm quickly overwrites difference, removing alternative knowing from the system. This has resulted in a condition in late modernity whereby the separation of ways of knowing and being from embededness in place are all but undetected in our cultural psyche. Ecological and epistemological destruction thus continue fundamentally unchecked. This thesis traces the loss of awareness of loss through shifts in, what I term, the epistemological baseline. An overlooked dimension of this ecological and epistemological change is the impact that loss of knowing has on the self. This loss, has, I propose, produced a collective and heightened existential anxiety, a loss of the sense that the self in any meaningful way exists. As a result, the late-modern self is caught in the endless search for proof – looking for evidence of existence through the given cultural form - material reflections, particularly images, of the self. Such evidence, however, merely reproduces the search for, and the dominance of, ‘objective’ knowledge and the reign of the object, ultimately producing the impermeable self. This process of self-referencing has over the last thirty to forty years been a matter of some theoretical scrutiny. Yet this conversation is one that has, primarily, been separated from conversations surrounding ecological destruction and diminished relationship with the other-than-human world. The making and mapping of the self is seen to bear no inherent relation to the destruction of species and of place. Where a connection is made it is material. Further, this is a materiality that is stripped bare of all subjectivity and presence. Hence we find most of the mainstream discourse and much environmental and cultural theory linking our habits of consumption to ideas of unsustainability but not to the effects this has on ways of being or knowing oneself as human. In this, the other-than-human world as the core constituent of our human being, (and our potential to know of this being) is absent, forgotten, lost. In revealing the limitations of cultural and environmental theory and protest, due to their historical locatedness in (and thus tendency to reproduce) epistemological error, I draw attention to the way in which ecological destruction and the loss of subjectivity are caught in a self-reinforcing, positive feedback loop which is taking us towards epistemological crisis. In this crisis we are trapped in a systemic failure to know of error and thus a failure to know otherwise, and as a system, we are heading not towards recovery but death

Emotional labour demands in enabling education: A qualitative exploration of the unique challenges and protective factors

Students in enabling programs bring richness, diversity, and complexity to the teaching and learning environment. They are often from under-represented backgrounds, have experienced educational disadvantage or disruption, belong to multiple equity groups, and face academic and non-academic challenges, including mental ill-health. This pilot study explored academic staff experiences in teaching and supporting students in enabling programs. Using a collaborative autoethnographical approach, four members of a multi-institutional research group wrote first-person reflections in response to guiding questions. From generative and reflective discussions, different themes arose. A major theme was the high ‘emotional labour demands’ of teaching a vulnerable cohort, with both positive and negative effects on staff. Other major themes included: the diversity of emotional responses and coping strategies; the complex, sometimes contradictory, role of the enabling educator; the importance of communities of care and support; and the impact of witnessing students’ transformations. Within these themes, the challenges, rewards, and protective factors, which mitigate stress among enabling educators, were identified

Models of support for student wellbeing in enabling programs: comparisons, contrasts and commonalities at four Australian universities

Students in enabling programs bring a richness and diversity to universities. This diversity is important both to the vitality of the institutions, and the social equity outcomes that enabling programs hope to foster. Yet, in crossing the bridge between pre-university and university entry, these students are often confronted by multiple challenges. Within the literature, concerns such as mental health difficulties, complex family issues and being first in the family to attend university have been shown to impact on a student’s ability to succeed academically, develop a sense of belonging in the university community and negotiate personal hurdles. While many universities provide counselling services, which are of great value, they are but one element in a more comprehensive model of support for the wellbeing of students in enabling programs. This paper will present the key features of four models of supporting enabling students’ wellbeing that have been developed at four institutions. The participating universities are the University of Tasmania, Murdoch University, The University of Newcastle, and the University of the Sunshine Coast. The models are unique, and also share commonalities, in terms of whether the support is embedded, centrally-located, proactive, informal or holistic