This thesis is a study of the cultural politics of environmentalism in an era of climate change and the public curriculum that it generates. Scientists and the policy elite alone are unlikely to solve the ‘wicked problem’ of climate change, even in the unlikely scenario that consensus was reached and concerted international action was forthcoming. Increasingly, it is recognised that institutional learning through technocratic refinements of the status quo are inadequate. Although there is widespread belief that anthropogenic global warming is an urgent problem, political action has not followed scientific knowledge, because we have been slow to recognise the problem’s cultural implications. A range of voices within the environmental movement (broadly conceived) have increasingly challenged technocratic policy framing, with new ways of thinking. By widening the debate these critical voices increase the possibility of learning to react in new ways, which increase the capacity for collective agency. Based on this assessment, the aim of this thesis is to explore the ways in which the cultural politics of particular activist milieus generate public curriculum, through catalyzing the relationship between the cultural politics of civil society and the political culture of the state. From the 1960s onwards, the environmental movement has undergone a process of differentiation and specialisation, such that distinct cultural formations – oriented around direct action, relocalisation, and professional campaigning – emerged. Different ideal typical modes of “climate change communication” – agonistic pluralism, public participation, and social marketing (Carvalho & Peterson, 2012) – can be mapped onto the public pedagogies of these activist cultures. Political theorist Chantal Mouffe (2005, p. 20) uses the term agonistic pluralism to describe a situation where the “adversary” is understood in a productive sense to be “a crucial category for democratic politics”: where this is denied, we/they relations are understood to be “antagonistic” in the sense that conflicting parties do not recognise the legitimacy of one another. This view recognises the power play and affective commitments that determine modes of political association. On the other hand, “public participation” views politics as constituted through non-partisan rational deliberation in legitimate public fora. Finally, “social marketing” approaches discard the notion of people as rational decision makers, but also discard the principle of public participation in favour of the notion that political communication can be improved through expert evidence-based interventions. Cultures of direct climate action tend towards agonistic communicative styles, characterised by contestatory moments and a public pedagogy of “defining the enemy” (Newman, 1994). On the other hand, this approach has been perceived as problematic by movement intellectuals in relocalisation movements, who have argued that the non-politicised experimental practices of local communities, which engage optimistically with a sense of the possible, may in the long run, be more productive of the kind of mass cultural value shift required in order to tackle climate change. More recently, reflecting their own situated organisational structures and actor-networks, knowledge workers in the professional campaigning sector have increasingly applied insights from social psychology, behavioural economics, and cognitive science in order to find ways that engage tacit cultural values and norms in their public pedagogical efforts. In seeking to ascertain the ideal conditions for communication, the ENGO sector aligns most closely with a ‘social marketing approach’ to public pedagogy. Working with the ‘agonistic’ discourse theory of Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau, I believe that all cultures of activism necessarily engage in a contingent politics of articulation, at the heart of which lies antagonism and hegemonic struggle. In this thesis, I construct an intertextual research model, capable of exploring the contingent processes of articulation within cultures of climate change activism, between them, and between the movement at large, and the wider public, as they engage (implicitly or explicitly) in hegemonic struggles that provide moments of educative potential to activists, bystanders and politicians. I argue that the public pedagogies of these cultures of activism cohere around the articulation of what Laclau (2005) would call “empty signifiers”, which link particular claims, interests, and identities through creating a frontier separating them from an outside, which partially constitutes the inside’s identity.

Embora a obra de Rousseau tenha sido objeto de uma farta produção intelectual ao longo dos quase dois séculos e meio de sua existência, continuamente sofre de interpretações distorcidas e leituras parciais. Com o objetivo de contribuir com essa discussão, sobretudo no que diz respeito à formação do homem, este trabalho procura discutir o processo pelo qual o homem natural se torna o homem civil, defendendo o ponto de vista que se trata de um empreendimento da razão, devidamente guiado pelos princípios da Natureza e voltado para uma autêntica formação humana na qual o homem se realize plenamente apenas em sua dupla condição, ou melhor, em sua condição composta de homem natural e homem civil. Tomando a metáfora da estátua de Glauco, a tese procura refletir que semelhantemente o homem teve sua aparência desfigurada ao longo do processo histórico. A cultura acabou negando a natureza e produzindo uma realidade ilusória que depravou o homem em sua constituição original. Mesmo que a nova condição gerada tenha sido notável para o progresso das ciências e das artes, degradou moralmente o homem, inviabilizando qualquer projeto social. Na reflexão que esta tese procura desenvolver, o termo reconfiguração é utilizado para designar a ação político-pedagógica possível dentro desse quadro, isto é, o que se pode fazer em termos da formação do homem, tendo em vista a realidade sócio-histórica e a corrupção geral do gênero humano, conforme Rousseau a concebe. Isso implica dizer que, no pensamento de Rousseau, a situação não está perdida, uma vez que a desfiguração não foi completa. Como restam algumas nuances que permitem reconhecer um pouco de sua figura original, torna-se possível, portanto, um processo de restauração que consiga de alguma forma produzir uma figura nova, valendo-se das características originais e agregando outras necessárias para o êxito do empreendimento. Para tal discussão, este trabalho se valeu da exegese dos textos rousseaunianos, sobretudo do Emílio. Para leitura complementar, a pesquisa contou com a coleção Oeuvres completes, da Pléiade, além das obras mais conhecidas e traduzidas para o português, como o Contrato social; A nova Heloísa; Emílio e Sofia; os Discursos etc. além dos textos de críticos consagrados, tais como Derathé, Starobinski, entre outros. Toda reflexão que aparece na obra de Rousseau prefigura a tarefa de fazer do homem um ser autônomo e livre, devidamente preparado para opor-se ao estado de depravação ao qual a humanidade chegou, resistindo o máximo possível à influência das paixões, dos vícios e às falsas soluções que podem aparecer. Assim, tomando a sociedade e o homem como devem ser, Rousseau contribui com a discussão, refletindo principalmente no Emílio sobre a possibilidade de reconciliação entre natureza e cultura, propondo uma formação que englobe os dois ideais e consiga superar os conflitos gerados pela sociedade. O que se pode chamar de verdadeira arte de reconfiguração do homem. Nessa perspectiva, o Emílio aparece como uma tentativa audaciosa e apaixonada de restaurar o homem natural para viver virtuosamente a realidade social. Em todos os sentidos, o Emílio está sendo preparado para as obrigações sociais e o cumprimento do dever. Porém, não significa que essa preparação o conduza necessariamente ao pacto social, mas a uma condição futura de autonomia, liberdade, sabedoria e conhecimento suficientes para viver plenamente sua vida pessoal, como homem, ou uma vida pública, como um dedicado cidadão de alguma comunidade qualquer. / Although Rousseau\'s work has been the subject of a rich intellectual production during almost two and a half centuries of its existence, it has continually been object of biased interpretations and partial readings. In order to contribute to this discussion, particularly with regard to the formation of man, this doctoral work discusses the process by which the natural man becomes civilian, defending the view that this is a development of reason, properly guided by the principles of nature and toward an authentic human development. Which means a fully realization only in the dual role, or rather in a composed condition of natural and civilian man. Taking the metaphor of the statue of Glaucus, the thesis attempts to reflect that similarly man had his own appearance disfigured over the historical process. Culture denied nature and produced an illusory reality that depraved man in his original constitution. Although the new condition has been remarkable for the progress of science and the arts, the morally degradation of man eliminated any social project. To the reflection developed by this thesis, the term \"reconfiguration\" is used to designate the political-pedagogical possible action within that framework. That is, what can be done in terms of the formation of man, with a view to socio-historical and the general corruption of mankind, as Rousseau conceives. This implies that, in Rousseau\'s thought, the situation is not lost, because the disfigurement was not complete. As some nuances of its original character survived, it is possible a restoration process that can somehow produce a new figure, taking advantage of the unique features and adding other measures necessary for the success of the enterprise. For the discussion, this work is based on Rousseaus writings, especially his education book Emile. For further reading, the survey included the collection Oeuvres completes, published by Pléiade, in addition to the best-known works, and translated into Portuguese, as the Social Contract, The New Heloise, Emile and Sophie, etc. To name other sources, the production from renowned rousseauists, as Derathé, Starobinski, among others. Any work out of Rousseau\'s reflections prefigures the task of making a man to be autonomous and free, fully prepared to oppose the state of depravity to which humanity has come, resisting as much as possible the influence of passions, vices and false solutions that may appear. So, taking men and society as they should be, Rousseau contributes to the discussion, reflecting - particularly in Emile - about the possibility of reconciliation between nature and culture incorporating the two ideas and overcoming the conflicts generated by social living: Which may be called a true art of reconfiguring man. By this perspective, Emile appears as a daring and passionate attempt to restore the natural man in order to live virtuously within the social reality. In every sense, Emile is being prepared for social responsibility and moral duty. However, it dos not mean that this will lead necessarily to the social pact, but to a future state of autonomy, freedom, wisdom and knowledge to a personal life, as a man, or to a public life as a dedicated citizen of any other community.

Embora a obra de Rousseau tenha sido objeto de uma farta produção intelectual ao longo dos quase dois séculos e meio de sua existência, continuamente sofre de interpretações distorcidas e leituras parciais. Com o objetivo de contribuir com essa discussão, sobretudo no que diz respeito à formação do homem, este trabalho procura discutir o processo pelo qual o homem natural se torna o homem civil, defendendo o ponto de vista que se trata de um empreendimento da razão, devidamente guiado pelos princípios da Natureza e voltado para uma autêntica formação humana na qual o homem se realize plenamente apenas em sua dupla condição, ou melhor, em sua condição composta de homem natural e homem civil. Tomando a metáfora da estátua de Glauco, a tese procura refletir que semelhantemente o homem teve sua aparência desfigurada ao longo do processo histórico. A cultura acabou negando a natureza e produzindo uma realidade ilusória que depravou o homem em sua constituição original. Mesmo que a nova condição gerada tenha sido notável para o progresso das ciências e das artes, degradou moralmente o homem, inviabilizando qualquer projeto social. Na reflexão que esta tese procura desenvolver, o termo reconfiguração é utilizado para designar a ação político-pedagógica possível dentro desse quadro, isto é, o que se pode fazer em termos da formação do homem, tendo em vista a realidade sócio-histórica e a corrupção geral do gênero humano, conforme Rousseau a concebe. Isso implica dizer que, no pensamento de Rousseau, a situação não está perdida, uma vez que a desfiguração não foi completa. Como restam algumas nuances que permitem reconhecer um pouco de sua figura original, torna-se possível, portanto, um processo de restauração que consiga de alguma forma produzir uma figura nova, valendo-se das características originais e agregando outras necessárias para o êxito do empreendimento. Para tal discussão, este trabalho se valeu da exegese dos textos rousseaunianos, sobretudo do Emílio. Para leitura complementar, a pesquisa contou com a coleção Oeuvres completes, da Pléiade, além das obras mais conhecidas e traduzidas para o português, como o Contrato social; A nova Heloísa; Emílio e Sofia; os Discursos etc. além dos textos de críticos consagrados, tais como Derathé, Starobinski, entre outros. Toda reflexão que aparece na obra de Rousseau prefigura a tarefa de fazer do homem um ser autônomo e livre, devidamente preparado para opor-se ao estado de depravação ao qual a humanidade chegou, resistindo o máximo possível à influência das paixões, dos vícios e às falsas soluções que podem aparecer. Assim, tomando a sociedade e o homem como devem ser, Rousseau contribui com a discussão, refletindo principalmente no Emílio sobre a possibilidade de reconciliação entre natureza e cultura, propondo uma formação que englobe os dois ideais e consiga superar os conflitos gerados pela sociedade. O que se pode chamar de verdadeira arte de reconfiguração do homem. Nessa perspectiva, o Emílio aparece como uma tentativa audaciosa e apaixonada de restaurar o homem natural para viver virtuosamente a realidade social. Em todos os sentidos, o Emílio está sendo preparado para as obrigações sociais e o cumprimento do dever. Porém, não significa que essa preparação o conduza necessariamente ao pacto social, mas a uma condição futura de autonomia, liberdade, sabedoria e conhecimento suficientes para viver plenamente sua vida pessoal, como homem, ou uma vida pública, como um dedicado cidadão de alguma comunidade qualquer. / Although Rousseau\'s work has been the subject of a rich intellectual production during almost two and a half centuries of its existence, it has continually been object of biased interpretations and partial readings. In order to contribute to this discussion, particularly with regard to the formation of man, this doctoral work discusses the process by which the natural man becomes civilian, defending the view that this is a development of reason, properly guided by the principles of nature and toward an authentic human development. Which means a fully realization only in the dual role, or rather in a composed condition of natural and civilian man. Taking the metaphor of the statue of Glaucus, the thesis attempts to reflect that similarly man had his own appearance disfigured over the historical process. Culture denied nature and produced an illusory reality that depraved man in his original constitution. Although the new condition has been remarkable for the progress of science and the arts, the morally degradation of man eliminated any social project. To the reflection developed by this thesis, the term \"reconfiguration\" is used to designate the political-pedagogical possible action within that framework. That is, what can be done in terms of the formation of man, with a view to socio-historical and the general corruption of mankind, as Rousseau conceives. This implies that, in Rousseau\'s thought, the situation is not lost, because the disfigurement was not complete. As some nuances of its original character survived, it is possible a restoration process that can somehow produce a new figure, taking advantage of the unique features and adding other measures necessary for the success of the enterprise. For the discussion, this work is based on Rousseaus writings, especially his education book Emile. For further reading, the survey included the collection Oeuvres completes, published by Pléiade, in addition to the best-known works, and translated into Portuguese, as the Social Contract, The New Heloise, Emile and Sophie, etc. To name other sources, the production from renowned rousseauists, as Derathé, Starobinski, among others. Any work out of Rousseau\'s reflections prefigures the task of making a man to be autonomous and free, fully prepared to oppose the state of depravity to which humanity has come, resisting as much as possible the influence of passions, vices and false solutions that may appear. So, taking men and society as they should be, Rousseau contributes to the discussion, reflecting - particularly in Emile - about the possibility of reconciliation between nature and culture incorporating the two ideas and overcoming the conflicts generated by social living: Which may be called a true art of reconfiguring man. By this perspective, Emile appears as a daring and passionate attempt to restore the natural man in order to live virtuously within the social reality. In every sense, Emile is being prepared for social responsibility and moral duty. However, it dos not mean that this will lead necessarily to the social pact, but to a future state of autonomy, freedom, wisdom and knowledge to a personal life, as a man, or to a public life as a dedicated citizen of any other community.