“We are peasants”: Exploring place, identity and the political role of educators with the Zapatistas of Mexico and Norwegian early childhood educators

The study explores the significance of farming culture for sustainable education and how it can contribute to teachers viewing themselves as political agents for change. The article is part of a doctoral project that explores how this perspective can strengthen sustainable education. To highlight this, perspectives from Norwegian kindergarten teachers in a small rural kindergarten and the Mexican Zapatista movement are linked together. Both of these groups identify as farmers, and the study investigates how their identity can shape their views on education and sustainability. The aim is to contribute to the research field of sustainable education, with a special focus on how teachers can be understood as political agents for change.

The study shows that being a farmer promotes ecological, social and political values that can help teachers understand their role as members of local and global communities. The study concludes that farming culture can be an important resource for sustainable education. By integrating values and experiences from farming culture into educational practices, teachers can strengthen their role as political agents and contribute to the development of transformative and empowering learning experiences for children and young people. The study emphasises the importance of viewing education as a practice that is rooted in place and society, and that can help create positive change both locally and globally.

The study uses the ‘bricolage methodology’ to explore the perspectives of Norwegian kindergarten teachers from a small kindergarten in a rural part of southwest Norway and members of the Mexican Zapatista movement in Chiapas. The study uses data from interviews, group discussions, observations and various written sources from both contexts. The study was conducted in three phases, from March 2019 to October 2020. In total, the researcher worked with 13 employees in the Norwegian kindergarten.

Maison, L. M. (2023). “We are peasants”: Exploring place, identity and the political role of educators with the Zapatistas of Mexico and Norwegian early childhood educators. Nordisk barnehageforskning, 20(4), 187–206.