About EcoLit
Ecocritical Literacy in Music- and Literature-based Practices of Arts Education
The interdisciplinary research and development project EcoLit (Eco-critical Literacy in music- and literature-based practices of arts education) explores the potential of arts education for a critical engagement with the ecological crises of the present. A starting point for the project is the assumption that socio-ecological transformation requires cultural, and not only technological and economic, change. Participating research institutions are the Institute for European Ethnomusicology, the Department of English II, and the research hub for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH) at the University of Cologne. The project considers itself a component of the UoC’s Sustainability Strategy and collaborator with the research initiative Sharing a Planet in Peril and is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (from 1/2024 to 12/2026)
Cultural Education
Development of an educational model that uses artistic perspectives to raise awareness and understanding of socio-ecological contexts.
Ecocritical Literacy
The potential of literature and music as aesthetic-artistic approaches to understanding socio-ecological contexts and their normative dimensions.
Qualitative Research
Investigation of music- and literature-related practices of cultural education through participant observation, autoethnographic procedures and design-based methods.
Practical projects
Collaboration with various cultural and scientific actors to develop projects, materials and methods for sustainable cultural education practice.
Research Design and Methodology
Grounded Theory Methodology
The project’s goal is to develop an empirically grounded model of eco-critical literacy based on specifically aesthetic-artistic approaches to better understand socio-ecological relations and their normative dimensions.
Ethnography and Design Based Research
The research is carried out in two sub-studies: The first, an ethnographic sub-study, explores music- and literature-based practices addressing ecological crises at the intersection of art and activism. The second, a design-based sub-study, focuses on developing and investigating non-formal arts education projects aimed at fostering eco-critical literacy. Based on the premise that aesthetic literacy development occurs in both informal and non-formal settings, the two sub-studies collaborate closely.
EcoLit resources
Available soon!
In addition to academic research, EcoLit also aims to provide educational materials developed during the project for open use. These can serve as inspiration for designing your own workshops or lesson plans on ecocritical engagement through music and literature.
