Cli-Fi in the Classroom: Climate Justice and Environmental Citizenship in Parable of the Sower

Abstract

Parable of the Sower is a significant work of climate fiction that presents a dystopian society shaped by ecological collapse, economic instability, violence, and social fragmentation. Octavia Butler explores the interrelated issues of the climate crisis, migration, racism, class, and survival in a rapidly changing world through the experiences of the protagonist, Lauren Olamina. This study investigates how the novel might be taught as a pedagogical instrument for climate justice and environmental citizenship in high school and undergraduate courses, drawing on Rob Nixon's concept of slow violence and Jack Mezirow's transformative learning theory. It examines how Butler depicts environmental injustice and community resiliency while highlighting how speculative fiction may foster students' critical thinking, ethical consciousness, and sense of social duty. The study further argues that cli-fi creates imaginative spaces through which readers can engage with the human dimensions of ecological crisis and rethink their relationship with society and the environment.