Ontological design of higher education: universities as catalysts for pluriversal futures and societal transitions

This article explores the potential of higher education as a catalyst for pluriversal futures and societal transitions through ontological design. Through a strategic dialogue between Global North theoretical frameworks and Global South transformative practices, the paper examines three key areas: decolonial pedagogies, communal learning, and post-extractivist knowledge economies. Drawing on decolonial, indigenous, and degrowth perspectives, it proposes a radical reimagining of universities as spaces of ontological experimentation and world-making praxis, where different ways of knowing and being can flourish. Through detailed examination of educational initiatives emerging primarily from the Global South, it demonstrates how universities can become sites for fostering pluriversal possibilities and developing ontological literacy – the capacity to navigate multiple realities. The paper concludes that the challenge lies in cultivating educational ecologies capable of nurturing multiple, often conflicting ways of knowing and being. It calls for a willingness to unlearn ingrained habits and imagine radically different educational futures, positioning higher education as a key site for fostering pluriversal possibilities and contributing to broader societal transitions in the face of converging socio-ecological crises.