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Intersections and Productive Tensions Between Posthumanism and Open Education Philosophies Toward Facilitating Embodied ODeL Pedagogies
Abstract
Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) frameworks aim to promote greater social justice and the democratisation of knowledge. However, much of the field remains grounded in mind-body dualism (Cartesian), a legacy of humanist philosophy. This division is particularly problematic for ODeL in South Africa, since the concept of anthropos (human) has historically excluded certain bodies, reinforcing inequality. Posthumanist philosophy challenges anthropocentrism by decentring the ‘human’ and promoting an ethics of entanglement. While some critique decentring the human as a failure to address social justice, posthumanism offers becoming-minoritarian— reclaiming the individual from the exclusionary humanist norms.
This paper examines how posthumanism can reshape current ODeL pedagogies; recognising the body-mind and multisensory learning as integral to ‘openness’. Through posthumanist-informed openness (i.e. post-dual and postanthropos), ODeL institutions in South Africa can reconceptualise Ubuntu in ways that more effectively address social injustice, knowledge de/colonisation and Eurocentric pedagogies. This paper is fully conceptual and theoretical, highlighting the enabling macro-level nature of ODeL pedagogy, advocating for inclusive and sustainable approaches to open education. This paper also proposes possibilities for further, empirical research on posthuman-informed, Ubuntu-aligned pedagogies for ODeL institutions in South Africa.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Changing Mindsets for Inclusive Open Education
Paper ID: 7478
Subject
Country
South Africa
Region
Africa
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Date
2025-09
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ORCID
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Publisher
Commonwealth of Learning (COL)