What Does That Have to Do with Geology? The Anthropocene in School Geographies around the World

Abstract

Based on the growing body of research and vivid scientific discourse, the Anthropocene is slowly making its way into the curricula of geography programs across the world. Unlike academic geography, the school subject seems to be more reluctant when it comes to the Anthropocene’s implicit implementation. Using content analysis, this article explores how geography curricula or compound subjects containing geography for lower secondary education in fifty countries represented the Anthropocene. The results showed that most curricula detached the Anthropocene from geological time and focused, in a disconnected manner, on three of its descriptors, namely, population growth, industrialization, and globalization. Greenhouse gases played a subordinate role. Also, most curricula operated at the national or global scale, leaving little room to navigate processes on several scales. The results also revealed few differences between curricula prescribing geography as an independent subject or as part of compound subjects, such as social studies or social sciences.