Reading ecological memoirs: What narrative therapy can tell us about the power of discussing books in groups

The act of storytelling is intertwined with identity, values and ethics. As such, stories are key in helping to shift values and encourage behaviours that support sustainable relations between humans and the rest of the more-than-human world. This chapter focuses on two threads of theory and practice that have been central with narratives and environmental education. The first thread brings in theories and practices from narrative therapy. This form of therapy, which has a core interest in social change, offers key ways of thinking about why stories are a powerful force for change and suggests practices to free people, from the ground up, from dominating narratives that are leading to destructive futures. The second thread concerns the usefulness of ‘ecological memoirs’ in shifting identity and values in relation to the more-than-human world. Teaching in higher education (HE) emphasises critical thinking. It is excellent at training students to pull apart dominant, problematic paradigms and power structures.