Schooling and Social Justice

Schooling and social justice: Reflections on the politics and practices of cultural inclusion

Presented by Professor Amanda Keddie, Research for Educational Impact, Deakin University

The Centre for Islamic Thought and Education and The Research in Educational and Social Inclusion Concentration invite you to attend a seminar ‘Schooling and social justice: Reflections on the politics and practices of cultural inclusion’ Presented by Professor Amanda Keddie, Research for Educational Impact, Deakin University

The role that schools should play in pursuing the goals of equity and cultural inclusion is well established. This role has been firmly installed in Australia’s state and national public education policy for many years but remains a contentious, complex and difficult undertaking. Schools must respond to shifts in Australia’s social fabric of unprecedented cultural diversity, new concentrations of poverty and social dislocation, new and more virulent forms of social polarization and growing inequalities. These are challenging times for schools also contending with the ever-rigid performative demands of a testing culture where success is defined in very narrow terms that continue to undermine the citizenship, social, aesthetic and creative aspects of education that are imperative to a culturally inclusive schooling. This presentation is framed by the social justice theories of Nancy Fraser and her idea that justice for all requires removing the economic, cultural and political obstacles that impede parity of participation for some groups and individuals. This idea is applied to schooling contexts with a particular focus on the politics and practices of cultural inclusion. The focus here is on some of the possibilities and challenges currently confronting educators attempting to realise the goals of political justice (in relation to issues of representation) and cultural justice (in relation to issues of recognition) for students marginalized on the basis of gender, race and religion.

Amanda Keddie is a Professor of Education at Deakin University within REDI (Research for Educational Impact). Her published work examines the schooling processes, practices and conditions that can impact on the pursuit of social justice in schools including student identities, teacher identities, pedagogy, curriculum, leadership, school structures, policy agendas and socio-political trends. Amanda’s qualitative research has been based within the Australian, English and American schooling contexts and is strongly informed by feminist theory with a particular focus on gender and cultural diversity. Her recent books with Routledge are Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice (2019) and Supporting and Educating Young Muslim Women (2017).

For more information and to register please email: EDS-RESI@unisa.edu.au