Principles of Curriculum Grounded in Post-Humanism Theory

پژوهش نامه مبانی تعلیم و تربیت

Article 4, Volume 15, Issue 1 - Serial Number 29, July 2025, Pages 81-98   

Document Type: پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/fedu.2025.91749.1399

Authors

Mohammad Reza yousefzadeh choosari^{* 1}; mina zarei²

¹Professor, Department of educational sciences,faculty of humanities,Bu-Ali sina university,Hamedan, Iran

²Master's student in Curriculum Planning, Bu-Ali sina university,Hamedan, Iran.

Abstract

Abstract
This study aimed to examine the principles of curriculum design grounded in posthumanism theory. Employing a philosophical research approach, the study utilized deductive reasoning as its primary methodological framework. This method involves applying general theoretical insights to analyze specific details and questions, whereby knowledge and conclusions are derived through logical deduction. The findings indicate that posthumanism serves as a critical framework challenging anthropocentrism and highlighting the increasingly blurred boundaries between humans and non-human entities. Central to posthumanism is the shift away from positioning humans as the sole agents at the center of the universe, thereby contesting traditional hierarchical structures. Furthermore, the results suggest that, from a posthumanist perspective, curriculum principles should encompass shared agency within the curriculum, recognition of non-human agency, curriculum as a complex and dialogic process, the acceptance of uncertainty, multisensory and multifaceted learning environments, incorporation of everyday life experiences, integration of digital technologies, and the utilization of identity-forming educational resources. 
Synopsis:
The study aimed to examine the principles of the curriculum based on the theory of posthumanism. The origins of posthumanism can be traced first to the ideas of Deleuze & Guattari (1987), Dan Aydeh (1990), Latour's actor network theory (2007), Haraway (2008), Bennett (2010), and Braidotti (2013). Given the importance that these approaches give to matter, objects, and the material world, these approaches are sometimes referred to as new materialism, but according to Braidotti, despite the breadth of approaches collected in the term "new materialism", they can all be described as post-humanist and post-anthropocentric. The reason is that in all these theories, an attempt has been made to diminish the centrality of man and the exclusive agency of man. (Barad, 2003). The philosophical research approach was used, and the research method was deductive reasoning. According to this method, the researcher uses a general theory and tries to answer details and questions using the insight gained from the generalities. In this method, knowledge and results arise from deductive arguments. Findings showed that the most important focus of posthumanism is the shift in emphasis from humans as the center of the universe and the reduction of their absolute agency. This perspective challenges the hierarchical approach. The main focus of post-humanism was relational ontology, Decentering Human Agency, Ecological and Systems Approach, and the network and entanglement approach. Also the findings showed that from the perspective of posthumanism, principles such as shared agency in curriculum, the agency of non-human beings in curriculum, curriculum as a complicated dialogue uncertainty in curriculum, multi-sense and multifaceted learning environment, everyday life, curriculum based on digital technology, and identity-creating educational resources should have a special place in the curriculum. 
Conclusion:
 According to the Post-humanism point of view, traditional models consider the individual as the only core and main center of education, and focus on one dimension. For example, the technological dimension, without considering other dimensions involved in learning and education, namely the social, environmental, and institutional dimensions that is not compatible with the systemic nature of education. Also, by relying on the ecological approach, from the perspective of post-humanism, contextual education should be considered, and contextual education is compatible with one of the characteristics of dynamic and open systems that exchange power and energy with the surrounding environment. (Kouppanou, 2022). While traditional educational approaches have often sought to simplify and standardize learning outcomes, post-humanist education and curriculum address the inherent and unpredictable complexity of educational processes. From this perspective, teaching and learning are interrelated phenomena that cannot be fully controlled or predetermined.
Regarding the foundations and emphases of posthumanism, it can be said that in post-humanist theory, the disruption of the category of man as a being with special privileges, the displacement of claims to human exceptionalism, the shift from a hierarchical epistemology to a flat epistemology that acknowledges other knowledge, such as local explanations, have equal value, as well as the displacement of the dualities and boundaries that control and demarcate human/nature, human/culture, natural/unnatural, human/nonhuman, and the opposition to the notions of man as an independent and selfish individual who is limited by the body and separated from others, are particularly emphasized. Post-humanists do not seek to study phenomena in isolation, but rather believe that phenomena are created by complex relationships with each other. They believe that humans are formed by nature and the world. Given the relational thought, posthumanism is more concerned with questions about how non-humans interact with each other.
The post-humanist curriculum is more than a simple conceptual shift, but rather represents a fundamental rethinking of how we understand agency, knowledge, and the world around us through the curriculum. This philosophical shift is a call to rethink how we select and define educational goals, select content, and design learning environments in ways that lead to epistemic diversity, local learning, and epistemic justice. The relational ontology of posthumanism requires curriculum developers to consider learning processes as a network of complex and dynamic interactions. From a post-humanist perspective, dual or multiple boundaries between curriculum phenomena are rejected, because these boundaries not only limit our understanding of learning and education, but also prevent a proper understanding of the biological, cultural, and technological complexities the curriculum should represent. Everyday life is important in many curriculum perspectives, but in the post-humanist curriculum approach, this importance becomes significant from the perspective of a critique of traditional models of knowledge and learning. Posthumanism emphasizes that learning cannot be understood apart from the complexities and interrelationships of the social, cultural, material, and technological realities that students and teachers engage with every day. From this perspective, everyday interactions such as informal conversations, cultural challenges, power relations, disciplinary issues, and social pressures are not just marginal details but are central parts of the educational process. The post-humanist curriculum emphasizes peaceful coexistence and social well-being by utilizing the strategic, technical, and environmental capabilities of the present and future, and is based on a proactive approach in curriculum design and research, and on keeping pace with and constructively confronting technological developments, and in short, on the talent for change in all practitioners in the curriculum area.

Keywords

Post-humanism; foundations; curriculum.principles

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