Nirad Abrol
PhD studentResearch Overview
I focus on the problems of organisational pedagogy in an international context shaped by unequal exchange. I draw on the praxis of Marxist and Pan-African traditions.My interests emerge out experiences as a student and then a teacher in environments underscored by competition and isolation.
Thesis Title
Educational resilience to severe hydrological shocks in the Brazilian Amazon
Thesis Outline
This project explores educational resilience to climate extremes in Brazil, focusing on Amazonian school communities affected by severe droughts and floods. While education is crucial for climate adaptation, it is often disrupted by climate shocks. Existing research tends to portray school communities as passive victims, overlooking their agency in shaping resilience. Instead, this study adopts a Freire-inspired, activist approach, viewing resilience as a negotiated process shaped by social struggles, politics, and local realities. Using socialist pedagogy, the project positions schools as spaces for dialogue, action, and resistance. It aims to understand how Amazonian rural schools navigate climate challenges and to develop policy recommendations for strengthening their adaptive capacities. Using qualitative methods, the research examines local perspectives on resilience, emergent community responses, and the conditions that enable or hinder resilience-building.
Supervised By
Dr Luke Parry, Dr Emma Cardwell, Dr Luciana Mendes Barbosa & Dr Kai Heron
Web Links
Pioneers of the Burkinabè revolution: https://scottishleftreview.scot/pioneers-of-the-bukinabe-revolution/ The Other-wise summer school: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Ue1v2icSZ/