Social justice in education revisited1

Social justice is a primary concern of politicians and human rights practitioners, but has lost much of its currency as it has been elevated through philosophical debates to the level of an idealised or “imagined social order” of modern state formations. This article is based on a conceptual analysis of social justice and the trajectory of philosophical discourse. It is argued that much of the social justice discourse ignores the specificity of the geo-historical and social contexts of developing countries and it is premised that social justice in education should be based on a more holistic approach that takes these situational factors into account. Based on the conceptual analysis forwarded, it is postulated that social justice is not an external condition or system. If it were an external condition or system, we could simply have learned social justice as we would have learned any other content-based subject. But social justice is an ideal – a vision that must become a way of life that permeates all aspects of being human. For this reason, it cannot be legislated or achieved through international conventions or declarations – albeit important instruments to promote social justice – social justice must come home in the hearts and minds of people and it must be lived. It requires that every citizen take responsibility to protect, advance and promote the values, principles and ideals of social justice, although for the marginalised and oppressed this is not enough. They need access to resources and opportunities for developing and exercising their capacities or capabilities for living a decent human life.