Eco-activists and the utopian project: the power of critical consciousness and a new eco imaginary

Today humanity is facing a sixth mass extinction: the first in 65 million years. The extinction underway is occurring at a rate faster than any previous mass extinction in Earth’s history. Our current forms of extraction economics, overproduction, and consumption are not just unsustainable – they are literally annihilationist towards our biosphere. They endanger the very fabric of life in our planet. Yet to imagine a redesign is nearly impossible for many who currently benefit from such systems. Where does the knowledge and critical consciousness for how to reimagine new systems of living reside? Two questions guide our research: 1) Can education play a role in redesigning such systems? 2) How do resistance movements and their associated forms of education help us reconsider the imaginaries of what is possible? Specifically, we explore the ways in which activist has evolved into a form of education, particularly through its engagement in non-formal education.