Abstract
Based on Martha Nussbaum’s list of central human functional capabilities, this chapter is an empirical study of the links between education and the development of girls’ and women’s capabilities in Bangladesh. The study arises from the expansion of girls’ education in Bangladesh; the widespread assumption that education helps lead to empowerment (which I take to be the development of capabilities); the claim by some that Bangladesh has already achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of the empowerment of women, and the evidence indicating otherwise. Through interviews with adolescent girls about what going to school and “being educated” means to them, there is an exploration of which capabilities are enhanced by the educational process in Bangladesh, and which are not. I argue that education cannot be regarded as a basic capability unless it specifically addresses the process of developing the capabilities necessary to live a life one has reason to value.
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© 2007 Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter
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Raynor, J. (2007). Education and Capabilities in Bangladesh. In: Walker, M., Unterhalter, E. (eds) Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230604810_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230604810_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
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