Towards a chronotopic theory of "place" in place-based education

M.W. Eijck, van, W.-M. Roth

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    49 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The notion of place, as in place-based education, has received considerable attention in educational theorizing because of its potential to link students, their lifeworlds, and their experiences in particular settings to formal education. However, in current debates of place-based education, the notion of place is emerging as problematic. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a rethinking of place in a form that is appropriate for describing and theorizing its occurrence in a world we share with others. We understand place as the result of a dialectical and dialogical relation of the material world and its chronotopic (time–space) nature in the various conversations (discourses) in which it is constituted as this place; that is, we view place as a lived entity that results from a dialogical transaction between a community and its material environment at a particular moment in cultural-historical time and which hence shapes and is shaped by the identity of the people. We exemplify our rethinking with a case of an environmental education project in which place unfolds as a chronotope from a dialogue between scientific and indigenous voices. The implications of this rethinking of place for place-based education are discussed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)869-898
    JournalCultural Studies of Science Education
    Volume5
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Towards a chronotopic theory of "place" in place-based education'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this