Preface

This book has its origins in aspirational conversations and collaborative activities that took place over several years between members of the School of Education at Western Sydney University (SoE-WSU) and professionals and academic colleagues in the Faculty of Social Science, University of Chile (FACSO-UCh). These conversations were initiated and mobilised through opportunities created through collaborative projects involving explorations of both the shared and distinctive features of the educational landscape in two countries – Chile and Australia – and their associated challenges pertaining to the conditions created by wider social, political, economic and environmental issues under which education is conceptualised and operationalised inspired a “movement”.  Thus was born Diálogos SUR SUR – Southern Knowledges through which these discussions became formalised in the highly successful inaugural two-day symposium, The Sociocultural Challenges of Contemporary Diversities: Childhood, Migration and Education and Cultural Inclusion, hosted in Santiago in June 2018 by FACSO, University of Chile (UCh). The program was co-designed with Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (UMCE), FACSO-UCh and SoE-WSU. The focus was to bring diverse sociological perspectives to issues shared by Australia and Chile in the context of Southern Theory and to recognise the major impact of knowledge hierarchies on the creation and failure to address global, regional and local inequities that play out in the everyday lives of individuals.

Such was the richness of this experience; it was determined that other seminars should follow. These were held in an online format in 2021 and 2022 and finally resumed the form of an in-person event in Sydney, Australia in September 2024, hosted by the School of Education, WSU, as Diálogos SUR SUR – Southern Knowledges:  Education, Sustainability and Social Change.

Rather than a geographic reference, South-South dialogue is a way of approaching social, cultural and political phenomena with a critical perspective, which is distanced from predominantly “Anglo-Eurocentric” approaches, while keeping in mind current globalisation processes. South-South dialogue is based on an epistemological perspective that is critical of Western colonialism and neoliberalism. It acknowledges the diversity of roots, ethnicities, nationalities and civilisational transformations that seek new ways of living and coexisting. For instance, Indigenous worldviews provide a broader understanding of the world than the dominant Western understanding, in feminist movements against patriarchy as well as the ways in which humans relate to nature.

In this context, Diálogos SUR SUR – Southern Knowledges: Education, Sustainability and Social Change brought together academics, activists, researchers, educators and students committed to addressing global challenges such as social and cultural inequality, racial inequality, gender inequality and colonial legacies. One of the most significant current debates in education concerns the incorporation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a key response to UNESCO’s Education 2030 Agenda, which can serve as a global review framework that highlights collaborative action for people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership (5Ps). The most effective way to achieve equitable and quality education, as well as lifelong learning opportunities for all, is through collaboration between actors across countries sharing global objectives. As the world stands on the precipice of sustainable living, it is crucial to also focus on “active hope” (Freire, 1992). Although the future looks uncertain and perilous with increasing inequality and unequal distribution of resources, we must work together for a collective response (Macy & Johnstone, 2012), moving courageously towards shared, critically hopeful action.

The 2024 symposium emphasised an ethical, just and collaborative response to global challenges in education, translating knowledge into action and building community to advance stable, sensible interactions. The dialogues were intended to bring together experienced and fresh voices, expand the discourse on Southern knowledges of justice, activism and political action, and promote constructive dialogue, collaboration and cooperation. From this perspective, South-South dialogues, while acknowledging the importance of universal referents, valued the diversity and plurality of Southern knowledges that differed from dominant homogeneous visions. Our goal continued to be the establishment of a transdisciplinary learning community that enhanced ethical, civic and educational awareness. Our ultimate aim was to foster the development of global citizenship, including responsibilities in multiple contexts, and provide opportunities for purposeful behaviours that affect distant as well as local environments. The Southern Knowledges symposium was committed to this vision of South-South (Sur-Sur) exchange by addressing issues facing individuals and groups in societies marked by significant heterogeneity and social inequality.

A one-day seminar: Southern Childhoods in Dialogue, committed to the same principles as outlined above, but focused specifically on the early childhood education context, was embedded in the symposium as a separate but related event. Selected health and education academics, researchers and practitioners from across the Global South were invited to consider “Southern Theory” through the lens of their expertise. The seminar brought an international exchange of ideas to help grow support for ongoing, impactful partnerships and collaboration across the health and education fields, more meaningfully supporting children and families who experience marginalisation.

Together, the two forums invited participants to consider the following key questions:

• What are the emerging theoretical and empirical paradigms on sustainability challenging mainstream development frameworks in the South, and what are their contributions and limitations?
• How do we decolonise research in the academy so that knowledges that have been historically and epistemically erased are moved into visible zones? (Muñoz-Garcia, Lira & Loncon, 2022)
• What does it mean to exist in academic spaces in the middle of a crisis that is social, political and environmental? (Muñoz-Garcia, Lira & Loncon, 2022)
• How might education be managed in collaboration with communities and stakeholders to build more regenerative, agentic and resilient societies in the future?
• How can the prominence and momentum of South–South cooperation be maximised, and what will its impact on development practices and discourses be?
• How can “common but differentiated responsibilities” best be operationalised to deliver the SDGs in local and global contexts?
• How can we improve the integration of human dignity and respect into the policies and practices related to development in the South?

In this collection, we have drawn on presentations from the Diálogos SUR SUR – Southern Knowledges:  Education, Sustainability and Social Change symposium and the Southern Childhoods in Dialogue seminar. Each contribution engages with the questions and themes outlined in this preface in some way.

All presenters were invited to participate in the book project; however, for various reasons, not everyone could. Those who expressed interest were asked to submit an abstract, and based on these abstracts, authors were subsequently invited to develop full papers for publication.

The book is divided into three sections, each addressing a discrete theme as follows:

Each section has an introduction that highlights how each of the chapters included address the key themes and concepts.

Part I: Epistemic justice and decolonising knowledge systems

Part II: Resistance, justice and collective action

Part III: Regenerative education, sustainability and global futures.

We are proud to bring this project to print in this collected edition and through this to honour the many people whose intellectual, emotional and physical labour contributes to making the world a fairer and more liveable place.

References

Freire, P. (1992). Pedagogia da esperança: Um reencontro com a pedagogia do oprimido [Pedagogy of hope: A reencounter with the pedagogy of the oppressed]. Paz e Terra.

Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2012). Active hope: How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy. New World Library.

Muñoz-García, A. L., Lira, A., & Loncón, E. (2022). Knowledges from the South: Reflections on writing academically. Educational Studies, 58(5–6), 641–656. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2022.2132394