Critical literacy and the social justice project of education

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to problematise the notion of social justice and the moral project that underpins critical literacy education. In plural societies, do we all have a shared understanding of what social justice is or how education, currently a dividing practice, might contribute to a better social order? Do we know what “better” looks like and for whom?Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper which examines some of the complexities involved in the constitution of a shared moral order for the creation of social justice in a plural society.FindingsThere are no findings as such. The paper constructs an argument which makes clear that moral decisions depend on reason.Research limitations/implicationsSouth African examples together with examples from Europe, Burma, the USA and the UK are included to support the argument. This paper makes suggestions as to how readers can connect examples elsewhere with their own contexts and why distance is sometimes helpful.Practical implicationsThe paper underlines the importance of ethics and morality for deciding whether interests at work in texts, discourses and practices should be supported or resisted. It also suggests that critical literacy has to recognize that the ground is shifting away from texts and discourse to include a focus on material practices that affects the planet and all the living and non-living entities entangled there.Social implicationsThe paper argues that the ability to critically interrogate texts, broadly defined, is fundamentally important for democratic citizenship.Originality/valueSocial justice is widely used in the literature on education as if there were a shared understanding of what it is. This paper invites readers to consider the complications caused by different constructions of norms and morality in different communities and the implications of this for classrooms.