Social justice education and the pitfalls of community and inclusion

Abstract

In this essay we consider the purposes of social justice education (SJE) and its central commitments to inclusion. Central to this discussion is the nature of community as a Structural concept, and the ways in which communities, by definition, creates both members and Others simultaneously in ways that trouble the notion and mission of inclusion as a project of justice in the first place. Inclusion is not an end but a process—an act—that must be repeatedly undertaken by educators and all stakeholders with an eye toward the constant humanization of all individuals, including those who may seem to be marginal or even diametrically opposed to the rhetoric, discourses, and values expressed by SJE advocates. This is the essential challenge for all SJE projects, groups, and individuals who assert dedication to anti-oppression. How do we embrace those who are misunderstanding of or resistant to SJE identities, values, and goals? How do we remain open and continuously inclusive, thereby legitimating our stated missions of education, justice, and equity for everyone in our pluralistic society?

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leslie David Burns

Leslie David Burns is an Associate Professor of Literacy and the Program Chair of English Education at the University of Kentucky. He is a co-author of the award-winning book Empowering Struggling Readers, and editor of the Social Justice Across Contexts in Education series by Peter Lang Publishing International.

Joseph Flynn

Joseph Flynn is the Associate Director for Academic Affairs for the Center for Black Studies and Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Northern Illinois. He is also author of White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice (Peter Lang, 2018).