Manywheres: In Pursuit of Social Justice in Developmental Science

Abstract

In this article, we articulate an innovative framework, manywheres, and argue that it can advance the work of fostering youth-led change and progressive world-making. We first root psychological and development science in an applied framework of developing more just, harmonious, and tolerant social worlds. Then, we introduce manywheres, a guiding framework of propositions of attending to the complexity and nuance of meaning-making across individuals without becoming lost in nihilism, relativism, or ethnocentric views of social justice. This leads to the construction of a more holistic developmental lens considering the age-related, contextual, and internal factors that shape meaning-making individual trajectories and societal outcomes. Manywheres can thus structure thinking and research with an end goal of understanding the diversity of young people’s engagement, activism, and disconnection. We end with mapping a research agenda applying these ideals, incorporating the methodological approaches that can be taken, concrete examples, and implications that can be applied to salient social issues.