A capabilities-friendly conceptualisation of flourishing in and through education

Abstract

This article explores what it means to flourish in and through education and why we should position such flourishing as an issue of morality. We draw on the capabilities approach (CA) advanced by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and locate the argument in the practical context of higher education (HE) in unequal societies. We use qualitative data from year one of a three-year longitudinal study exploring student agency and well-being at a South African university to consider flourishing in and through education. Using the CA concepts of well-being, agency, practical reason and affiliation, we argue that the CA provides a philosophical grounding that takes account of both personal and relational flourishing and morality. Flourishing in education requires consideration of the well-being and agency of students. Flourishing through education draws attention to the role of education in promoting well-being and flourishing beyond its walls by fostering a social and moral consciousness among students.

Keywords:

• capability approach (CA)
• human development
• inequalities
• flourishing
• higher education (HE)

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka Project, under Grant 87922, and via the NRF SARCHi Chair in Higher Education and Human Development, Grant U86540. The authors would like to thank the anonymous peer reviewer for insightful comments that have improved the quality of the article.

Notes

1. See http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2960; and http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/world-happiness-report-2013/.

2. See http://www.gnhbhutan.org/about/.

3. In the South African context the term ‘township’ refers to large, poor and often underdeveloped urban areas that house many of the country’s unemployed. Townships have their roots in apartheid policies of race-based segregation. Despite major legislative and policy changes since 1994, townships remain poorly serviced, with high levels of poverty and violence.

Additional information

Funding

South African National Research Foundation [grant number South African Research Chairs Initiative U86540] [grant number Thuthuka Grant 87922].