Sustainability with an Ethical Aim

174 Pages·2017·1.4 MB·English

The University of San Francisco
USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library |
Geschke Center
Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects
2012
Sustainability with an Ethical Aim: Lessons from an
American Nun in Amazonia
Stephanie Denise Demaree
[email protected]
Follow this and additional works at:https://repository.usfca.edu/diss
Part of theEducation Commons
Recommended Citation
Demaree, Stephanie Denise, "Sustainability with an Ethical Aim: Lessons from an American Nun in Amazonia" (2012).Doctoral
Dissertations. 22.
https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/22
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital
repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF
Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please [email protected].
The University of San Francisco

SUSTAINABILITY WITH AN ETHICAL AIM:
LESSONS FROM AN AMERICAN NUN IN AMAZONIA

A Dissertation Presented
to
The Faculty of the School of Education
Department of Leadership Studies
Organization and Leadership Program

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

by
Stephanie Demaree
San Francisco
May 2012
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Dissertation Abstract

Sustainability with an Ethical Aim:
Lessons from an American Nun in Amazonia

Research Topic

Human imagination, an ethical aim and action are the progenitors for reconciliation
between humans and their environment. Two examples of such reconciliation are found
in Brazil and are the result of the tireless work of an American Nun, Sister Dorothy Stang
and the staff of the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and Conservation Center. The
present inquiry portrays the history, current programs, and the potential for the findings
to shape the lives of those committed to work toward creating a balance between human
endeavors and sustainable environments.
Theory and Protocol
This research is grounded in critical hermeneutics and follows an interpretive approach to
field research and data analysis (Herda 1999). This orientation places the researcher and
participants in a collaborative relationship that exemplifies the power of conversation and
the importance of language to unveil new understandings about our world.
Research Categories
Three primary critical hermeneutic concepts, drawn from the theory of Paul Ricoeur
(1992), provided the categories for this research. These categories served as the
boundaries for both data collection and analysis: Ethical Aim, understood from a critical
hermeneutic orientation, promotes living with and for others in a socially just manner;
Imagination is the creative act of envisioning a different future that can be inhabited; and
Praxis fosters the practical application of ethical aim and imagination through action.
ii
Findings
The participants, who lived their ethics daily in the practical application of sustainable
practices, argued that we must collectively re-imagine what it means to be interconnected
with the earth, because the current one-sided relationship between humans and their
environment is unsustainable. The following findings were derived from the
conversations with participants: (1) sustainable praxis is the responsibility of everyone;
(2) education can lead to sustainability in real world contexts; (3) an ethical aim includes
esteem for people and the earth’s resources.

iii
This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee
and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by
the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this
work represent the work of the candidate alone.

Stephanie Demaree 4-25-12
Candidate Date

Dissertation Committee

Dr. Ellen A. Herda 4-25-12
Chairperson

Dr. Patricia Mitchell 4-25-12

Dr. Stephen Cary 4-25-12

Dr. Paul Racanello 4-25-12

iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing a doctoral dissertation is like any major accomplishment in life; it
involves hard work, at times feelings of elation or desperation, and acknowledging the
unsung heroes that made the journey possible. Two people who supported me most
fervently deserve my gratitude, Mike and Blaise. Two weekends out of the month we
journeyed to San Francisco so I could go to class and Mike and Blaise supported me with
later dinners, last minute video editing, and companionship. On the home front, thanks
goes out to my parents for holding down the fort and my in-laws for always lending a
helping hand.
This academic and intellectual process involved in the dissertation and doctorate
was predicated on perseverance, and that was encouraged by my unyielding advisor and
mentor, Dr. Ellen Herda, who stretched my mind to think in ways it never had before.
Thanks also go to my committee comprised of Dr. Patricia Mitchell, Dr. Stephen Cary
and Dr. Paul Racanello for their continued support.
Finally, this real life adventure and inquiry into Sustainable Practices with an
Ethical Aim: Lessons from an American Nun in Amazonia was made possible through
the staff and faculty of The Dorothy Stang Center at Notre Dame de Namur University
and by the LeBreton’s and others of Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and
Conservation Center in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Their conversations and insights shaped the
narrative that I was honored to tell.
v
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 2
FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH ........................................................................................ 2
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2
Statement of the Research Topic .................................................................................... 2
Background of the Research Topic ................................................................................. 3
Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 4
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 7
BACKGROUND OF BRAZIL ........................................................................................ 7
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7
Geographical Location .................................................................................................... 7
Early History ................................................................................................................... 8
Current Situation ............................................................................................................. 9
Culture............................................................................................................................. 9
Political and Economic Background ............................................................................. 10
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 12
REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................................ 12
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 12
Section One: Selected Anthropological Theory on Brazil ............................................ 12
Section Two: Environment and Education ................................................................... 18
Section Three: Development......................................................................................... 25
Section Four: Theoretical Constructs............................................................................ 30
Ethical Aim ............................................................................................................... 30
The Good Life ........................................................................................................30
With and For Others...............................................................................................32
In Just Institutions ..................................................................................................33
Imagination ............................................................................................................... 35
Praxis......................................................................................................................... 38
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 43
v
RESEARCH PROCESS ................................................................................................. 43
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 43
Ethical Aim ............................................................................................................... 43
Imagination ............................................................................................................... 44
Praxis......................................................................................................................... 45
Research Protocol ......................................................................................................... 46
Research Categories and Guiding Questions ............................................................ 47
Category I: Ethical Aim .........................................................................................47
Category II: Imagination ........................................................................................48
Category III: Praxis ................................................................................................48
Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 49
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 50
Research Sites ............................................................................................................... 50
The Dorothy Stang Center for Social Justice and Community Engagement ................ 50
Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and Conservation Center ............................ 52
Entree to Iracambi and The Dorothy Stang Center ................................................... 53
Research Conversation Participants .............................................................................. 54
Pilot Study ..................................................................................................................... 60
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 60
Reflections on the Pilot Project................................................................................. 61
Background of Researcher ............................................................................................ 62
Summary ................................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................ 65
DATA PRESENTATION ............................................................................................... 65
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 65
Sustainability in Brazil .............................................................................................. 65
Meaning of Sustainability with an Ethical Aim ........................................................ 70
Development and Education Models ........................................................................ 74
Government’s Attitude Toward Progress ................................................................. 81
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 87
CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................... 89
DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................... 89
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 89
An Ethical Aim is Required for a Just World ........................................................... 90
Ethical Aim Toward People ...................................................................................91
vi
Ethical Aim Toward the Land ................................................................................93
Imagination: What the Future May Hold .................................................................. 95
Imagination and the Environment ..........................................................................96
Imagination of the People ......................................................................................98
Imagination and Education ..................................................................................100
Praxis Means Making a Difference in the World ................................................... 102
Action in Community ..........................................................................................102
Action in the World Context ................................................................................105
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 108
CHAPTER SEVEN ....................................................................................................... 110
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS ..................................................... 110
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 110
Summary of the Research ........................................................................................... 110
Research Findings ....................................................................................................... 111
Sustainable Praxis is the Responsibility of Everyone ..........................................112
Education Can Lead to Sustainability in Real-World Contexts ...........................113
An Ethical Aim Includes Esteem for People and the Earth’s Resources .............114
Implications for Practice ............................................................................................. 115
Re-imagining Science Instruction for Sustainability and Ecoliteracy through
Educational Policy ...............................................................................................115
Coupling Praxis and our Consumption Patterns ..................................................118
Envisioning Education and Development with an Ethical Aim ..........................121
Suggestions for Future Research ................................................................................ 123
Government Policies and Sustainable Practices ..................................................123
Implications for Education ...................................................................................124
Conservation and Preservation ............................................................................124
Personal Reflections from the Researcher .................................................................. 125
Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 128
Appendix A: List of Participants ................................................................................ 134
Appendix B: Pilot Conversation Transcription with Sister Roseanne Murphy .......... 135
Appendix C: Pilot Study ............................................................................................. 148
Background of Conversation Partner ...................................................................... 148
Data Presentation .................................................................................................... 148
Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 150
Greed and Lack of Ethical Aim and Solicitude ...................................................150
Destruction of Natural Resources Reflective of Insufficient Imagination ...........152
Sister Dorothy’s Social Justice and Educational Work and Praxis ......................153
Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 156
Implications............................................................................................................. 157
vii
Appendix D: Letter of Invitation and Research Questions ......................................... 159
Appendix E: Research Participant Confirmation Letter ............................................. 161
Appendix F: Thank You/Follow-Up Letter ................................................................ 162
Appendix G: Copy of IRBPHS Letter ........................................................................ 163

viii