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Adult learning, circumstantial activism and ecological habitus in the coal seam gas protests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2020

Tracey Ollis Open the ORCID record for Tracey Ollis [Opens in a new window]
Tracey Ollis*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: trace.ollis@deakin.edu.au
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Abstract

This paper outlines adult learning in the space of an important campaign against mining for coal seam gas (CSG). Recently, the government of Victoria became the first state to ban fracking for CSG in Australia. This significant legislative outcome could not have been achieved without the concerted campaigning of activists through the Lock the Gate Alliance (LTGA), in Central Gippsland. The campaign is mainly composed of circumstantial activists who have come together due to the serious threat from fracking to the quality of their land and water supply. This case study research examines adult learning in the field of a campaign. The findings from this research make clear activists learn to think critically about the environment and the impact of fracking for CSG. They learn communication skills, group work and networking skills. They develop a feel for the game of activism by learning informally through socialisation with experienced activists from the LTGA and the Environmental Non-Government Organisation Friends of the Earth (FOE). In turn, FOE resource the coalition and provide opportunities for both informal learning and nonformal learning to the protestors. Drawing on Bourdieu’s writing on practice, this paper outlines practices within the LTGA field that are influential in the knowledge and skill development of the activists.

Keywords

environmental adult educationinformal learningcoal seam gasBourdieu
Type
Research/Practice Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 40 - 55
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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