Stirring the Pot: Towards a Critical Social and Ecological Justice Pedagogy of Home Economics

Abstract

Home economics seeks to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Having evolved to meet the changing needs of society, home economics internationally and nationally has shifted to address issues of sustainability. The extent to which this is true of Saskatchewan home economists is questionable. Climate change is the most pressing issue facing the citizens of today because human industrial processes are threatening the extinction of civilization, most species, and the planet itself (Bush & Lemmen, 2019; Foster, 2010; International Governmental Panel on Climate Change, 2019; United Nations, 2019; World Health Organization, 2016, and 2019). Environmental threats become issues of social justice when climate risks threaten the well-being of members of society: particularly the most vulnerable.

Home economics can contribute to improving the well-being of individuals, families, and communities by developing students as engaged citizens who can critically analyse the status quo and bring about positive change through social and political action. Using historical analysis through a critical feminist lens, a theoretical framework for a critical social and ecological pedagogy of home economics is established. Building on Smith’s (2017a) home economics pedagogical braid model, the work of Kumashiro’s (2015) anti-oppressive education, Westheimer’s (2015) citizenship education, and eco-justice models from Bowers (2002), and Edmundson and Martusewicz (2013), I illuminate one such pathway to help home economics education reach its full potential to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

A critical social and ecological pedagogy of home economics requires provincial curricula renewal that includes the participation of home economics specialists grounded in current home economics research. Higher order thinking outcomes based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom, Englehart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956) are needed in updated provincial curricula. This research recommends that careful thought must be given to ensure critical social and ecological pedagogies of home economics are employed to revitalize the home economics certificate program at the University of Saskatchewan. The voices of home economists should be heard in places where decisions are made about home economics and must be advocated for by provincial home economics professional associations to ensure the continued legacy of home economics in the province.