436
S. Emery et al.
1 Introduction
In recent decades, there has been increasing pressure for universities to take an active
role in engaging with contemporary issues of local and global scales and become
immersed in the world (Berman 2008). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
further compel action, in particular Target 4.7 states;
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development
and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace
and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s
contribution to sustainable development (United Nations 2018).
Ph.D. candidates are student researchers (SRs) who form a sector of the university
population which is growing in size. SRs offer much potential for supporting universities in addressing SDGs, yet we argue that they are a largely overlooked group
contributing to actions for sustainability.
Part of the contribution this paper makes is to challenge deficit discourses of SRs
which we argue limits their imaginaries of what they can contribute as change agents.
We call instead for strength based views which help to realise the potential of SRs
as change agents in light of the growing population of SRs in universities globally.
We report on two cases within one university setting (the University of Tasmania)
in which SRs led initiatives to engage communities in projects centered around cultural, environmental and social sustainability. These examples showcase the potentiality of SRs as active agents in facilitating action for sustainability. The SRs in
these case studies were entangled with a network of engaged sustainability educators through Education for Sustainability Tasmania (EfSTas) (a United Nations
University Recognised Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable
Development), which served a linking and leveraging role in which SR capitals could
be realised. While the SRs’ Ph.D. projects were discrete research projects within the
Education Faculty of the University of Tasmania, they were also interwoven with
EfSTas as this paper explains.
To offer some context, Tasmania is an island state of Australia, with a rich cultural
and natural heritage, including high biodiversity, abundant fertile soil, water, clear
air and renewable energy (hydroelectricity) (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS]
2006). In addition, Tasmania faces distinctive sustainability challenges associated
with remoteness, a weak economy relative to mainland Australia, a historical reliance
on exploitative activities (e.g., old growth forest logging, damming and mining),
high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage and a low and aging population (ABS
2006). Tasmania’s social and political environment makes the state a rich area for
experimenting with practice models in the delivery of sustainability education.
In the first section of this paper, we discuss the role of EfSTas for the connectivity
of sustainability education in Tasmania and the legitimacy it provides for new projects
and initiatives. In subsequent sections, we detail the two case studies, one based on
a cultural arts program in a school and the other on an environmental awareness
raising initiative. We offer insights into the ways that SRs employ cultural capital to
S. Emery et al.
1 Introduction
In recent decades, there has been increasing pressure for universities to take an active
role in engaging with contemporary issues of local and global scales and become
immersed in the world (Berman 2008). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
further compel action, in particular Target 4.7 states;
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development
and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace
and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s
contribution to sustainable development (United Nations 2018).
Ph.D. candidates are student researchers (SRs) who form a sector of the university
population which is growing in size. SRs offer much potential for supporting universities in addressing SDGs, yet we argue that they are a largely overlooked group
contributing to actions for sustainability.
Part of the contribution this paper makes is to challenge deficit discourses of SRs
which we argue limits their imaginaries of what they can contribute as change agents.
We call instead for strength based views which help to realise the potential of SRs
as change agents in light of the growing population of SRs in universities globally.
We report on two cases within one university setting (the University of Tasmania)
in which SRs led initiatives to engage communities in projects centered around cultural, environmental and social sustainability. These examples showcase the potentiality of SRs as active agents in facilitating action for sustainability. The SRs in
these case studies were entangled with a network of engaged sustainability educators through Education for Sustainability Tasmania (EfSTas) (a United Nations
University Recognised Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable
Development), which served a linking and leveraging role in which SR capitals could
be realised. While the SRs’ Ph.D. projects were discrete research projects within the
Education Faculty of the University of Tasmania, they were also interwoven with
EfSTas as this paper explains.
To offer some context, Tasmania is an island state of Australia, with a rich cultural
and natural heritage, including high biodiversity, abundant fertile soil, water, clear
air and renewable energy (hydroelectricity) (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS]
2006). In addition, Tasmania faces distinctive sustainability challenges associated
with remoteness, a weak economy relative to mainland Australia, a historical reliance
on exploitative activities (e.g., old growth forest logging, damming and mining),
high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage and a low and aging population (ABS
2006). Tasmania’s social and political environment makes the state a rich area for
experimenting with practice models in the delivery of sustainability education.
In the first section of this paper, we discuss the role of EfSTas for the connectivity
of sustainability education in Tasmania and the legitimacy it provides for new projects
and initiatives. In subsequent sections, we detail the two case studies, one based on
a cultural arts program in a school and the other on an environmental awareness
raising initiative. We offer insights into the ways that SRs employ cultural capital to