Page 90 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 3-4: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Educational Opportunities and Social Justice, eds. Zdenko Kodelja and Urška Štremfel
P. 90
šolsko polje, letnik xxxi, številka 3–4
important step beyond the theories of distributive justice. While the re-
distribution approach uses compensation as a tool for increasing the op-
portunities of those in the least favourable position, the recognition ap-
proach reminds us that these increased opportunities can (in some cases)
remain unrealised. Namely, individuals who are faced with adversities of
status differentiation and status discrimination often fail to use increased
opportunities.
Third, Fraser (2003, p. 15) coins the term bivalent collectivities to ex-
plain why social justice must inevitably entail both socio-economic as well
as cultural dimensions. Bivalent collectivity represents a social group dis-
advantaged both in terms of its socio-economic and cultural sense, as is
the case with our target group, and neither sense can be limited to the ef-
fects of only one because they are intertwined and work simultaneously7.
The recipe for making contemporary society more just might there-
fore lie in the recognition of what must entail the re-evaluation of dis-
respected and unrecognised social groups, their cultural production and
their differentness. This cannot be achieved without re-evaluating the
symbolic social order by dissecting the conditions which uphold the cur-
rent status differentiation, in turn raising questions of power and priv-
ilege. For example, one way to deconstruct the privileged social dimen-
sions is, according to Wang’s study of school principals’ perception of
social justice (2016, p. 12), to “raise the consciousness of dominant group
about its privilege over the less advantaged, and openly discuss the inter-
play between power and control”.
As mentioned, this article combines both approaches (redistributive
and recognition) to assess whether the existing arrangements and prac-
tices of child participation in elementary schools in Slovenia are just in
terms of equal opportunities for vulnerable groups of children. The redis-
tribution approach principles will allow us to identify sources needed for
child participation in school and indicate what are, according to the fo-
cus group participants, the preconditions for participation to be just for
all. The conditions for all children to participate are merely one aspect of
just participation, while the other one is to reduce inequalities in partici-
pation outcomes. Therefore, a more complex analysis is needed, one that
goes beyond analysing only opportunities to participate. Here, the recog-
nition approach is better suited to assessing whether the participation ar-
rangements are just as it concentrates not only on the formal requirements
7 A typical example of bivalent collectivity is gender. Namely, gender inequalities can be
partly attributed to economic inequalities, partly to the society and to the culture. Oth-
er examples of bivalent collectivities are race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity
(Robeyns, 2003, p. 3).
88
important step beyond the theories of distributive justice. While the re-
distribution approach uses compensation as a tool for increasing the op-
portunities of those in the least favourable position, the recognition ap-
proach reminds us that these increased opportunities can (in some cases)
remain unrealised. Namely, individuals who are faced with adversities of
status differentiation and status discrimination often fail to use increased
opportunities.
Third, Fraser (2003, p. 15) coins the term bivalent collectivities to ex-
plain why social justice must inevitably entail both socio-economic as well
as cultural dimensions. Bivalent collectivity represents a social group dis-
advantaged both in terms of its socio-economic and cultural sense, as is
the case with our target group, and neither sense can be limited to the ef-
fects of only one because they are intertwined and work simultaneously7.
The recipe for making contemporary society more just might there-
fore lie in the recognition of what must entail the re-evaluation of dis-
respected and unrecognised social groups, their cultural production and
their differentness. This cannot be achieved without re-evaluating the
symbolic social order by dissecting the conditions which uphold the cur-
rent status differentiation, in turn raising questions of power and priv-
ilege. For example, one way to deconstruct the privileged social dimen-
sions is, according to Wang’s study of school principals’ perception of
social justice (2016, p. 12), to “raise the consciousness of dominant group
about its privilege over the less advantaged, and openly discuss the inter-
play between power and control”.
As mentioned, this article combines both approaches (redistributive
and recognition) to assess whether the existing arrangements and prac-
tices of child participation in elementary schools in Slovenia are just in
terms of equal opportunities for vulnerable groups of children. The redis-
tribution approach principles will allow us to identify sources needed for
child participation in school and indicate what are, according to the fo-
cus group participants, the preconditions for participation to be just for
all. The conditions for all children to participate are merely one aspect of
just participation, while the other one is to reduce inequalities in partici-
pation outcomes. Therefore, a more complex analysis is needed, one that
goes beyond analysing only opportunities to participate. Here, the recog-
nition approach is better suited to assessing whether the participation ar-
rangements are just as it concentrates not only on the formal requirements
7 A typical example of bivalent collectivity is gender. Namely, gender inequalities can be
partly attributed to economic inequalities, partly to the society and to the culture. Oth-
er examples of bivalent collectivities are race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity
(Robeyns, 2003, p. 3).
88
