Acknowledgements

I dedicate this thesis to my life source, Mayuan, whose unwavering love and support has made this work possible. Thank you for putting up with a grumpy scholar through this protracted journey, and for nourishing my body, heart, and soul with joy, inspiration, companionship, and 油泼面! I am blessed that my life is entangled with yours.

My wholehearted thanks go to my supervisors, Professor Jem Bendell, Professor Tom Grimwood, and Professor Kaz Stuart. Thank you for believing in me; for your patient guidance and support; and for challenging me to ceaselessly question what I take for granted.

Thank you to my research partner and dear friend Wendy Freeman – for all the insights, the energy, and the generous learning citizenship you have brought to this investigation, and for your warm words of encouragement. You have played an instrumental role in this conscious learning endeavour.

I also want to express all my gratitude to the members of the DAF Diversity and Decolonising Circle, past and present: Katie Carr, Sasha Daucus, Wendy Freeman, Heather Luna, Nontokozo C. Sabic, and Kat Soares. Thank you for these personal and collective journeys of (un)learning we are (and have been) on, including the love and mutual support between us, the mistakes we made, and the challenges we faced together. In particular, I want to acknowledge your irreplaceable presence and guidance, Nontokozo – you have taught me to walk on the ice, and to sit in the fire; and your eagle-eyed reviewing of parts of this thesis, Katie, Sasha, and Wendy. Thank you, beautiful humans.

Muchas gracias a la Dani, pour ton expertise linguistique irremplaçable !

None of this research project would have existed without the active involvement of dozens of FairCoop and Deep Adaptation Forum participants, who generously gifted their time and energy as they answered questionnaires, took part in research conversations, attended online events, or published resources and personal stories on the Conscious Learning Blog. Your wisdom, experience, and intention to make a difference - in the world and in yourselves - has been the lifeblood of this work. I hope I am worthy of the trust you have placed in me.

Last but not least, I want to thank my parents, Tanya and Jacques, and my brother Lloyd, for having shaped so deeply who I am. Merci pour votre amour, et pour m’avoir éveillé au monde – à sa beauté comme à ses blessures – au sein des vertes collines qui seront à jamais notre terre de cœur.