Social justice in India

Abstract

This study focuses on social justice from the perspective of five school leaders in Delhi, India. Four of the schools in the study are affluent. One school serves primarily students who live in extreme poverty. Through interviewing these leaders, two major themes were identified. First, these leaders tended to view human rights as a driver of a social justice paradigm. The environment where they lived and worked, however, greatly impacted their views of social justice. Second, we found that these leaders enacted social justice differently based on the context and the students whom they served. School leaders at the more affluent schools tended to focus on teaching about social justice and serving others. The leader of the less affluent school focused more on providing opportunities for students that would allow them to move out of poverty in hopes of changing their status in society. Both themes highlight the importance of context.