ABSTRACT
This chapter explores synergies between drama, social justice education (SJE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). Drawing on strands from “pedagogy of possibility” (Simon, 1992) and “relational pedagogy” (Biesta, 2010; Bingham & Sidorkin, 2010; Buber, 1937; Noddings, 2005), a theoretical framework for drama and SJE is provided. A number of characteristics of drama which find resonance with SJE and ESD are outlined and thereby provide a clear rationale for drama as a context to explore issues of social justice and sustainable development. Two lesson exemplars are shared which support teachers to translate theory into practice. The exemplars focus on co-creating drama work with primary school children that demands critical thinking, ignites ethical caring (Noddings, 2005) and requires action both inside the fictional context of the drama and in the “real” world (Davis, 2014). The lower primary drama aims to challenge heteronormativity, the assumption that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior. It celebrates difference by representing and exploring family diversity. The upper primary drama focuses on forced migration challenging the influence of populist, anti-immigrant discourses by humanising migrants and exploring their experiences.
