What’s so Wrong with Personification? Toward a Theory of Personhood in Science Education

Abstract In this article, we revisit the contentious history of personification to explore its potential for shifting the aesthetics of science education. We argue that personification can act as a boundary object to open up new aesthetic possibilities for science and education, toward an aesthetics of personhood. Drawing on philosophy, Indigenous knowledge systems, feminist science studies, and emerging scientific fields, we propose a relational notion of personhood for science education that is inclusive of human and more-than-human beings. We position relational personhood in science education as an aesthetic shift that can reconfigure what is possible, visible, and say-able in science education, ultimately contributing to a science education that is ‘fit for the future’ and respons-able to the challenges of the Anthropocene.