Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education
- Cambridge Handbooks in Education
- The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Historical Perspectives
- Part Two Philosophical and Normative Foundations
- 9 Normative Case Studies as Democratic Education
- 10 Moral Education and Democratic Education
- 11 Rawlsian Political Liberalism and Democratic Education
- 12 Social Justice Education and Democratic Legitimacy
- 13 Critical Theory, Local Moral Perception, and Democratic Education
- 14 Democratic Deliberation in the Absence of Integration
- 15 Education and Democratic Citizenship: Capabilities and Quality Education
- Part Three Key Topics and Concepts
- Part Four Challenges
- Index
- References
12 - Social Justice Education and Democratic Legitimacy
from Part Two - Philosophical and Normative Foundations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 April 2023
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education
- Cambridge Handbooks in Education
- The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Historical Perspectives
- Part Two Philosophical and Normative Foundations
- 9 Normative Case Studies as Democratic Education
- 10 Moral Education and Democratic Education
- 11 Rawlsian Political Liberalism and Democratic Education
- 12 Social Justice Education and Democratic Legitimacy
- 13 Critical Theory, Local Moral Perception, and Democratic Education
- 14 Democratic Deliberation in the Absence of Integration
- 15 Education and Democratic Citizenship: Capabilities and Quality Education
- Part Three Key Topics and Concepts
- Part Four Challenges
- Index
- References
Summary
Social Justice Education (SJE) has become the defining orientation of many educators and educational researchers, but is not without its detractors. Because of its overt political investments, SJE has been accused of brainwashing students and violating the terms of democratic legitimacy. In this chapter, I offer a philosophical defense of some SJE. Using Canada as an example and comprehensive liberalism as a framework, I argue that many practices that we wish to protect under the banner of SJE can be defended by appeal to the foundational values that are common to liberal democracies and find expression in contemporary legislation. I suggest five criteria for distinguishing between defensible and indefensible forms of political education, allowing that not all self-proclaimed SJE will be defensible, and some less progressive education will be. I conclude by anticipating two objections to this strategy.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education , pp. 178 - 195Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
References
Applebaum, B. (2009). Is teaching for social justice a “Liberal Bias”? Teachers College Record, 111(2), 376–408.Google Scholar
Bialystok, L. (2014). Politics without “brainwashing”: A philosophical defence of social justice education. Curriculum Inquiry, 44(3), 413–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brighouse, H., & Swift, A. (2014). Family values: The ethics of parent-child relationships. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Bull, B. (2008). Social justice in education: An introduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Burbules, C. N. (2022). Promoting critical thinking in anti-critical thinking times: Lessons from Covid. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 29(1), 5–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Callan, E. (1997). Creating citizens: Political education and liberal democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Episcopal Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (ECDCCCB). (2011). Pastoral ministry to young people with same-sex attraction. http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/ministry-ssa_en.pdf.Google Scholar
Gabriel, T., & Goldstein, D. (2021, June 1). Disputing racism’s reach, Republicans rattle American schools. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/us/politics/critical-race-theory.html.Google Scholar
Hackman, H. (2005). Five essential components for social justice education. Equity and Excellence in Education, 38(2), 103–09.Google Scholar
Hess, D. E. (2004, April). Controversies about controversial issues in democratic education. PSOnline, 257–61. Available at: https://people.ucsc.edu/~ktellez/hess.pdf.Google Scholar
Hytten, K. (2015). Ethics in teaching for democracy and social justice. Democracy & Education, 23(2), 1–10.Google Scholar
Hytten, K., & Bettez, S. C. (2011). Understanding education for social justice. Educational Foundations, 25(1–2), 7–24.Google Scholar
Murrell, P. Jr. (2006). Toward social justice in urban education: a model of collaborative cultural inquiry in urban schools. Equity & Excellence in Education, 39(1), 81–90.Google Scholar
Neufeld, B., & Davis, G. (2010). Civic respect, civic education, and the family. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42(1), 94–111.Google Scholar
North, C. (2008). What’s all this talk about “social justice”? Mapping the terrain of education’s latest catchphrase. Teachers College Record, 110(6), 1182–206.Google Scholar
Nussbaum, M. (2011). Perfectionist liberalism and political liberalism. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 39(1), 3–45.Google Scholar
O’Leary, J. (2012, June 1). Cardinal Collins defends Catholic approach to bullying. The Catholic Register. Available at: http://www.catholicregister.org/component/k2/item/14577-cardinal-collins-defends-non-gsa-approach-to-school-bullying.Google Scholar
Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association. (2012, June 25). Respecting difference. A resource for Catholic schools in the province of Ontario. Available at: https://www.ocsta.on.ca/ocsta/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PDF-RespectingDifference-FINAL-Jan.26.2012.pdf.Google Scholar
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). Ontario’s equity and inclusive education strategy. Toronto.Google Scholar
Packer, G. (2022, March 10). The grown-ups are losing it. The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/04/pandemic-politics-public-schools/622824.Google Scholar
Rawls, J. (1985). Justice as fairness: Political not metaphysical. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 14(3), 223–52.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C. (2012). Why are schools brainwashing our children? Maclean’s, 125(43), 20–23.Google Scholar
Sandel, M. (1998). Liberalism and the limits of justice. 2nd ed., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2012). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Sopelsa, B., Bellamy-Walker, T., & Reuters, (2022, March 8). “Don’t Say Gay” bill: Florida Senate passes controversial LGBTQ school measure. NBC News. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/dont-say-gay-bill-florida-senate-passes-controversial-lgbtq-school-mea-rcna19133.Google Scholar
Tanchuk, N., Rocha, T., & Krus, M. (2021). Is comprehensive liberal social justice education brainwashing? Philosophy of Education, 77(2), 44–59.Google Scholar
Taylor, C. (1989). Sources of the self: The making of modern identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). (1990). UN Commission on Human Rights, E/CN.4/RES/1990/74. Available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f03d30.html.Google Scholar
Waldron, J. (1987). Theoretical foundations of liberalism. The Philosophical Quarterly, 37(147), 127–50.Google Scholar
Waldron, J. (2004). Liberalism, political and comprehensive. In Gaus, G. F. & Kukathas, C., eds., The handbook of political theory. London: Sage, pp. 89–100.Google Scholar
Wise, A. E. (2006). Accreditation hearing of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) before the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Zimmerman, J., & Robertson, E. (2017). The case for contention. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 2
- Cited by