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Drama as a transformational capability of sustainability science
Wall, Tony Österlind, Eva Lehtonen, Anna Khalaim, Oleksandra Fries, Julia Hallgren, Eva Piasecka, Shelley
Wall, Tony
Österlind, Eva
Lehtonen, Anna
Khalaim, Oleksandra
Fries, Julia
Hallgren, Eva
Piasecka, Shelley
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2025-10-07
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Abstract
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a foundational aspect of the transformatory capability of sustainability science at the individual and group levels. Despite international frameworks to promote and monitor the development of sustainability competences, evidence of the efficacy of ESD remains limited and even challenging. This article proposes drama-based educational approaches, as part of an increasing body of arts-based methods used in sustainability science, which materially impact a wide range of sustainability competences. Drama is a practice-based approach that intentionally uses carefully designed educational activities involving body, story, interaction, and collaboration to generate sustainability awareness, knowledge, mindsets, and action taking for individuals and groups within higher education. Examples of applied drama practices can include various forms of role play, forum play (playing out roles and pausing/fast-forwarding/reversing to explore possible solutions), and legislative theatre (where participants collaborate with lawmakers to address local issues). This article draws on an international project applying drama methods across disciplinary areas, and outlines how drama methods may contribute to sustainability competences applied in practice. As a result of this, we propose further research to inform future high-impact practices of applied drama for the field of ESD.
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Wall, T., Österlind, E., Lehtonen, A., Khalaim, O., Fries, J., Hallgren, E., & Piasecka, S. (2026). Drama as a transformational capability of sustainability science. Sustainability Science, 21, 435–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01751-2
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Springer
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Sustainability Science
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Article
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en
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© The Author(s) 2025.
The version of record of this article, first published in [Sustainability Science], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01751-2
The version of record of this article, first published in [Sustainability Science], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01751-2
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1862-4065
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1862-4057
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We would like to thank the Swedish Research Council for the support and funds to conduct the underpinning research for this article.