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In this paper, it is argued that degrowth cannot be discussed in vacuo. Rather, it must be read through its relationship with form. Form and the formative prompt us to engage with learning and growth. Like growth and degrowth, learning and unlearning leave us with more questions than answers. The linearity imposed on learning by a logic of growth needs to be contested. An effective, albeit lateral critique of the logic of growth in learning is found in the pedagogies of unlearning and indirectness, both of which suggest a particular focus on the contingencies of life, which, understood in their aporetic nature, reveal that which can only be embraced through the unforeseen. Discussing the work of Latouche, Unamuno, Rancière, Saeverot, and Torgersen amongst other, this paper concludes with a discussion of degrowth in Ivan Illich's parable of the snail, and D'Arcy Thompson's discussion of growth and form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a critical appraisal of the term degrowth by questioning some of its basic epistemological and ontological assumptions. Rather provocatively, we suggest that both education and degrowth are chained to a logic of progressive development, and enshrine an enduring faith in science, technology, and economics. We strip the term degrowth down to its roots and champion the role of the aesthetic, in both the form and substance of this article. In the concluding vignettes, we uncover a space for longing and belonging - namely, the desire for the transcendent and a sense of rootedness in the present - in the educational realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to bring together a series of ideas/concepts from the work of Isabelle Stengers, Didier Debaise, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Anna Tsing and others in order to apply them to the notion 'after progress,' which has some bearing on the theme of this special issue on degrowth. As Savransky and Lundy (2022) argue, 'the notion of "progress" is arguably the defining idea of modernity'. Whilst this idea of progress has been the object of criticism, its prevalence is still pervasive. But what would living after progress or following a degrowth agenda look like, particularly within contexts of educational policy and practice? After progress perhaps another education is possible. The paper takes on board this suggestion, and rather than viewing education in schools and elsewhere in terms of its current concerns in the West with individual achievement, competition, and standards, we see it as promoting diversity, conviviality, working, thinking, agreeing and disagreeing in common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degrowth, often perceived as retrograde by contemporary standards, presents innovative alternatives by fundamentally breaking with the growth-centric paradigm dominating society and the economy. Rather than pursuing endless economic expansion, degrowth emphasizes quality of life through fair distribution, care, community, and autonomy. It advocates reducing overconsumption of energy and resources, especially in Western countries, aiming to balance the economy with planetary limits. While there is no unified degrowth theory, common values include consuming less, growing one's own food, and repurposing existing structures. This special issue explores the implications of degrowth in education, driven by considerations of social justice, and existential wellbeing for learners and educators alike. The papers here do not blindly advocate degrowth, or merely deconstruct the concept of growth to replace it with another fixed model. Instead, they seek to foster open-ended exploration and criticism. The aim is to challenge the entrenched systems of growth, and promote a more inclusive, generous, and sustainable society, with particular focus on the role of education in this transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I am proposing a manifesto for degrowth pedagogies. Designed for Higher Education institutions and theatre pedagogues, I argue the need to develop a system of theatre training based on degrowth theory. Developed from French intellectual thought in the early 1970s, degrowth diagnoses the climate, ecological, socio-political and spiritual crises, as symptoms of capitalism's growth imperative, with its impulse for ever-increasing productivity in spite of the direct and ever-increasing detriment to people and planet. The theatre sector exists in a position of subservience to this growth-centric, socio-economic model – under pressure to adopt growthist practices in theatrical production, such as high-carbon international touring; ideological conformism to attract 'greenwashing' corporate funding; among other phenomena. Yet, to avoid contributing to climate, ecological and societal breakdown, the theatre sector will need to understand and adopt degrowth practices. Theatre pedagogy is an ideal site to affect change. Theatre training institutions must undergo a transition towards new ways of serving their students, as well as local and global communities, while inviting new generations of theatre-makers to create differently; to consider how the aesthetics, forms and material realities of their practice can embody 'slow' and degrowth theatre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]