Guattari’s Philosophy of Environment and its Implications for Environmental Education in (Post)Colonial Africa

Abstract

In this essay I introduce Guattari’s philosophy of environment and focus in particular on his ecosophy which comprises three interlocking dimensions of self, society and nature. Guattari argues that integrated world capitalism is concerned more than anything else with the production of human subjectivity. He suggests that through its technological arm, the media, integrated world capitalism is producing human subjectivities that are domesticated, that is, passive, dull and uninspiring. The symptoms of the homogenising and normalising effects of integrated world capitalism are evident in suffering occurring in the three ecologies: environment, social and mental. Creating new ways of living (alternative to those configured by integrated world capitalism) requires the (re)singularisation of both individuals and institutions – their uniqueness should be reclaimed. Guattari points out that new ways of living are not to be achieved through macropolitical consensus but rather through micro-political dissensus – vectors of dissent open up possibilities for substantive change in serendipitous ways. Furthermore, transformative events in one of the ecologies can have similar effects in the other ecological domains. In my essay I explore some implications Guattari’s expanded idea of ecological niche has for environmental education in (post)colonial Africa. In doing so I give particular attention to the notion of sustainable development.