Reconceptualising social (in)justice for research in rural South African schools: the roles of space, place and collective response

Many theories of social justice overlook the importance of space and place. In analysing education in the rural Global South, they do not capture the complexity and situatedness of issues such as cultural and linguistic hierarchies in language of instruction, and rural flight and individual life trajectories. We propose a new theoretical framework for understanding (in)justice, developed through a project to improve children’s literacy and wellbeing through community engagement in primary schools in rural South Africa. We argue that combining structural, agential and spatial perspectives, and incorporating the indigenous theory of ‘flocking’, will help us better hear and understand the distinctive experiences of rural children and adults, and support their agency in addressing the injustices and opportunities they face.