Presentation short abstract

This paper unpacks the transformative potential of political ecology education through lived experiences of multidisciplinary bachelor students taking a political ecology-led Sustainability minor program at Tilburg University in The Netherlands.

Presentation long abstract

Sustainability has become a central topic in Dutch university education, with staff and schools encouraged to demonstrate links between their programs and the SDGs. A leading social science university in The Netherlands, Tilburg University positions sustainability as central to its programs and aims to train students to develop a ‘critical mindset’ and ‘contribute to a just and sustainable society’. Despite these propositions, sustainability education is largely grounded in positivist approaches emphasizing technocratic solutions. In 2023, the Tilburg University Liberal Arts and Sciences program introduced a new minor program on Sustainability, available to all third year bachelor students at Tilburg University. Taking political ecology as its starting point, the minor critically engages with sustainability: questioning assumptions and mainstream narratives, reframing debates, and exploring transformative solutions. Participating students come from a range of academic backgrounds, including law, economics, psychology, and sociology. Drawing on narrative interviews with students who followed the minor program, along with a systematic review of the epistemological characteristics of broader sustainability education at Tilburg University, this paper explores the transformative potential of political ecology education for a diverse cohort of students. Students describe how the minor has had a transformative impact, deepening their critical thinking skills and shifting their perspectives on sustainability. Juxtaposing the minor program against broader sustainability education at Tilburg University, this paper argues that if universities are committed to sustainable societies, political ecology should play a significant role in education, both in its own right and as an important pillar of interdisciplinary education.