Recasting the University with a Sustainable Systems Epistemology: An Overview by Umer Moten

Attending the recent forum, “Recasting the University with a Sustainable Systems Epistemology at its Heart,” felt like stepping into a space of much-needed reflection on education’s role in a world fraught with ecological and socio-political complexity. Surrounded by peers and thought leaders, the common thread quickly became clear: our educational systems still reproduce and reinforce a fragmented worldview that does not serve students or the planet.

The Paradox of Education

As I listened, I noticed something profound yet nuanced: although we spoke in “many different languages”—metaphorically and sometimes literally—about educational change, we shared an identity. In many ways, we were all “outcasts,” envisioning an approach to education that feels alien to the mainstream but essential for our collective future. This resonated with how I felt when I joined DIT; it was both a revelation and a relief. I remember thinking, “Finally, a place where people will get me!” But the question lingered—why is something like DIT relegated to being a “special” strategic initiative? Why aren’t ideas of holistic, systems-driven education part of the main narrative?

At the heart of this challenge lies the education perception paradox: while universities have the potential to lead transformative change, the prevailing educational prototypes remain trapped in dualistic, mechanistic, and neoliberal paradigms. Here, knowledge is often separated into silos, detached from human responsibility. In this outdated approach, students are trained to categorise rather than connect.

Systems Thinking, Justice and Hierarchy

Stephen Sterling’s systems approach emerged as a compelling framework, advocating for education that transcends linear, compartmentalised knowledge in favour of an interconnected understanding of the Anthropocene. In hypothetical practice, universities must embed systems thinking within their pedagogies, enabling students to conceptualise the interdependence of non-human and human systems. There is something profoundly moving about realising environmental and social systems as integrated, rather than as external entities that humans manage or extract from. And what a shame that our universities, by and large, fail to embrace this!

In line with this, Dr. Agni argued that educational spaces should be designed so that justice is a lived experience for students, cultivating an active commitment to a fairer and more resilient world. Such an integration calls for justice to be not just a lofty ideal but a grounding principle that shapes the learning process. This reframes learning as a participatory practice where students actively engage with and reshape inherited knowledge, but I was struck by the rigidity of hierarchy in educators’ paradigms. Many seem focused on informing and convincing rather than truly embodying transformation, as if the “rot” of conventional structures remained invisible to them. And I couldn’t help but wonder why those closest to power avoid its deeper implications, resisting the sticks and sermons of true transformation.

Ecotones - A new conceptualisation

A memorable concept from the forum was the “ecotone”—a metaphor that quickly became my personal highlight. Dr. Vasques described ecotones as rich transitional zones in nature, where two ecosystems meet and foster new life. In education, ecotones can represent spaces of interdisciplinary, synergetic, and empathetic collaboration. Through this lens, universities could create areas where students and educators from diverse fields come together, allowing perspectives to overlap, merge, and give rise to new understanding. Students, then, could become active agents in a co-creative process rather than passive recipients of knowledge, challenging rigid academic hierarchies and inviting fluidity and cross-disciplinarity.

The (Current and Future) Challenge

However, at the heart of all these models lies the assumption that systems thinking demands a new level of engagement with the discomfort of questioning familiar structures. It requires a willingness to move beyond the status quo. Systems thinking, by its nature, invites us to see our role in the present and the weight of our responsibility to the future. This process is challenging; it involves re-evaluating entrenched norms and fostering mutual accountability between students, educators, and administrators.

Simply put, this journey requires not only intellectual commitment but also psychological resilience—the strength to navigate and grow through the discomfort that transition brings.

Leaving the forum, I felt conflicted. I resonated with the need for a systems epistemology for sustainability transitions; it is the key to transformation. But I was also left questioning. Do universities truly care to mainstream such interdisciplinary pedagogies, or are forums like this merely offshore spaces for “outcasts” to congregate? I left with a stake in collective action, empathy, and a holistic view of “our” place in the world, but not with the hopeful certainty that our broader educational ecosystem will share the responsibility for a just, sustainable future.