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
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