Pädagogik(en) der Nachhaltigkeit. Subjekt, Organisation und Gesellschaft im Anthropozän

The article outlines an educational sustainability research approach that differentiates between the human subject, the social form of the organization and the social system in which both are embedded as different levels of analysis. In a first step, social theories of (non-)sustainability are analysed and discussed with regard to the established social-theoretical discourse pattern of de- and re-centring the subject. The contrast between individual life practice and social infrastructure reproduces this permanently, which is accompanied by the society-wide dissemination of educationally effective moral communication. The contrast between subject and society, however, also prevents us from seeing that social continuities—and therefore also the (non-)sustainability of society—are linked to the social form of the organization. The social form of organization offers both an answer to the question of the causes of social unsustainability and provides starting points for transformation. These consist not only of an organization-based pedagogy of things but are also based on the fact that the formation of organizational structures has a far-reaching social impact that goes beyond subjective consumption decisions or lifestyle preferences. The fact that this is itself genuinely educational as a result of the differentiation of behavioral expectations and imperatives for action indicates that even in the context of sustainability transformation, educational practice is not reduced to human interactions. The educational impact of non-individual forms of structure formation represents a task for educational sustainability research in theory formation, empiricism and teaching.