Annick De Witt

• Ph.D.
• Researcher and educator at Utrecht University

Our world is arguably in existential crisis, with crises manifesting in nearly every facet of our existence, from education, mental health, and culture, to democracy, environment, and institutions. As our worldviews are often considered a root cause of this crisis, numerous voices emphasize the need for more transformative approaches that actively...

In a world in need of profound change, the importance of transformative education is increasingly recognized. However, barriers abound in our Higher Education Institutions, including that educators often have little notion of how to make their teaching more transformative in practice. This paper builds on our experience of developing a transformati...

While the Earth system is in overshoot mode with an imminent threat to our social, ecological, and economic systems, cultural evolutionary theory may hold the key to more successfully addressing many of our sustainability challenges. With the aim of illuminating the potential of studying the evolution of a sustainable bioeconomy through a cultural...

Our severe environmental and social issues challenge us to think in new and innovative ways about the needed solutions. In this chapter, I argue we need to move beyond mere instrumental, linear, and reductionist approaches, toward more transformative, emergent, and aspirational approaches. Considering the nature of our global sustainability problem...

“The survival of mankind will depend to a large extent on the ability of people who think differently to act together. International collaboration presupposes some understanding of where others’ thinking differs from ours.” ~ Geert Hofstede, 1984. Increasingly, people are becoming aware of how profoundly worldviews shape and inform our social, pol...

For addressing climate change, public support for changes in policy is needed, as well changes in individual lifestyles. Both of these appear to be intimately related with people’s worldviews. Understanding these worldviews is therefore essential. In order to research and ‘map’ them, we translated the theoretical ‘Integrative Worldview Framework’ (...

As an opening case, this chapter begins with the author’s personal exploration of spirituality and sustainability. It stems from a nature experience she had in the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, which altered her worldview and her sense of self, sparking an existential inquiry and shaping her quest for learning. Ultimately, this experience led her t...

This paper explores how the transition to a low-carbon society to mitigate climate change can be better supported by a diet change. As climate mitigation is not the focal goal of consumers who are buying or consuming food, the study highlighted the role of motivational and cognitive background factors, including possible spillover effects. Consumer...

The current gridlock around climate change and how to address our global sustainability issues can be understood as resulting from clashes in worldviews. This article summarizes some of the research on worldviews in the contemporary West, showing that these (ideal-typical) worldviews have different, and frequently complementary, potentials, as well...

Biotechnological innovations prompt a range of societal responses that demand understanding. Research has shown such responses are shaped by individuals' cultural worldviews. We aim to demonstrate how the Integrative Worldview Framework (IWF) can be used for analyzing perceptions of biotechnology, by reviewing (1) research on public perceptions of...

The concept of sustainable development does not articulate what needs to be sustained, developed, or how, and is consequently intersubjective and intercultural. I therefore argue that it is essential to consider different worldviews when discussing sustainable development, and I offer broad, provisional suggestions as to how we can begin doing this...

According to several authors, our contemporary cultural landscape is characterized by an emergent, integrative cultural movement and worldview, which attempts to reconcile rational thought and science with a spiritual sense of awe for the cosmos. This rational “cosmic piety” may hold important potentials for sustainable development. This study aims...

This study aims to generate understanding into the spiritual dimension of nature experience and its relationship to environmental responsibility, as reported in interviews with nature-lovers/environmentalists and spiritual practitioners in Victoria, Canada. As the interviews demonstrate, seeing nature as imbued with meaning, intrinsic value, and/or...

Insight into worldviews is essential for approaches aiming to design and support (more) sustainable pathways for society, both locally and globally. However, the nature of worldviews remains controversial, and it is still unclear how the concept can best be operationalized in the context of research and practice. In this study, I therefore aim to o...