The socioecological (Un)learner: Unlearning binary oppositions and the wicked problems of the anthropocene

The purpose of this chapter is to justify, theorise and contextualise a way to unlearn the binary oppositions of the Anthropocene (e.g. nature<culture). We define unlearning as a disassembling part of thewhole of learning involving the realisation and removal of deep commitments to obsolescent learnings. We justify unlearning the binary oppositions of the Anthropocene on the premise that they have failed to represent the genuinely wicked problems of being human. We theorise the unlearning of binary oppositions with a form of monistic dualism, which simultaneously represents the division and unification of ‘opposites’. Finally, we contextualise the unlearning of binary oppositions in relation to the wicked problems of the Anthropocene, including sustainability, education and globalisation. The authors’ hope is that this way of unlearning binary oppositions may help diversify the community of socioecological learners who recognise, and respond to, the Anthropocene.