Abstract
In this case study we show how methods of philosophical interpretation can illuminate fundamental questions about the complementary concepts of justice and democracy in education. Globalisation prompts rethinking of basic ethical and political concepts. So, drawing on the idea of philosophical interpretation as reflective equilibrium, we set out to resolve tensions between the key concepts and assumptions of current theoretical positions and the demands and constraints imposed by contemporary global political, ethical and educational issues. We show how liberal feminism can accommodate diversity and inclusion, cosmopolitan justice as a form of universal inclusion can be sensitive to varying global circumstances, and cosmopolitan democracy and justice require both redistribution of educational goods and the education of citizens for participation in cosmopolitan institutions. Working within an analytical framework influenced by Rawlsian liberalism but drawing on a feminist and cosmopolitan reconstruction, we argue that fostering justice and democratic institutions depends crucially on education.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bachelard, G. (1938). La formation de l’esprit scientifique. Paris: Vrin.
Benhabib, S. (1996). Toward a deliberative model of democratic legitimacy. In Democracy and difference: Contesting the boundaries of the political (pp. 67–94). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Benhabib, S. (2007). Another universalism: On the unity and diversity of human rights. Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, 81(2), 7–32.
Bohman, J. (2007). Democracy across borders: From demos to demoi. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Caney, S. (2005). Justice beyond borders: A global political theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cohen, G. A. (1991). Incentives, inequality and community. The Tanner lectures on human values. http://tannerlectures.utah.edu/lectures/documents/cohen92.pdf reprinted as The incentives argument. In Rescuing justice and equality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (2008).
Cohen, J. (1996). Procedure and substance in deliberative democracy. In S. Benhabib (Ed.), Democracy and difference: Contesting the boundaries of the political (pp. 95–119). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Cohen, J., & Sabel, C. (2006). Extra republicum nulla justicia? Philosophy & Public Affairs, 43 (2), 147–175.
Crittenden, J. (2007). Civic education. Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/civic-education/. Accessed 4 Aug 2012
Daniels, N. (2008). Just health: Meeting health needs fairly. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dewey, J. (1927). The public and its problems. Athens: Swallow Press.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2004). Liberal feminism, cultural diversity and comparative education. Comparative Education, Special Issue: Philosophical Perspectives on Comparative Education, 40(4), 503–516.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2006). Educating for a just world without gender. Theory and Research in Education, Special Issue on the work of Susan Moller Okin, 4(1), 41–68.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2008). Cosmopolitan justice: Education and global citizenship. In M. Peters et al. (Eds.), Global citizenship education: Philosophy, theory and pedagogy (pp. 71–85). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. (Originally published in Theoria 104 (2004) 150–168)
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2009a). Philosophy of education and the gigantic affront of universalism. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 43(1), 1–17.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2009b). Between universalism and universality: A rejoinder to Sharon Todd. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 43(1), 23–29.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2012). Democratic inclusion and lifelong learning in a globalising world. In D. Aspin et al. (Eds.), International handbook of lifelong learning, part 1 (2nd ed., pp. 77–90). Dordrecht: Springer.
Enslin, P., & Tjiattas, M. (2015). Education, justice, and the limits of statism. In R. Marples, J. Suissa, & C. Winstanley (Eds.), Education, philosophy and wellbeing; new perspectives on the work of John White (pp. 142–159). Abingdon: Routledge.
Enslin, P., Pendlebury, S., & Tjiattas, M. (2001). Deliberative democracy, diversity and the challenges of citizenship education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 35(1), 115–130.
Fraser, N. (1997). From redistribution to recognition. In Justice interruptus: Critical reflections on the “postsocialist” condition. London: Routledge.
Fraser, N. (2003). Social justice in the age of identity politics. In N. Fraser & A. Honneth (Eds.), Redistribution or recognition? A political-philosophical exchange (J. Golb et al., Trans.). London: Verso.
Gould, C. (2004). Globalizing democracy and human rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gutmann, A. (1987). Democratic education. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Habermas, J. (2009). Europe: The faltering project. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Jones, P. (2007). Education and world order. Comparative Education, 43(3), 325–337.
Kuper, A. (2004). Democracy beyond borders: Justice and representation in global institutions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Macedo, S. (2000). Diversity and distrust: Civic education in a multicultural democracy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Maffettone, S. (2009). John Rawls: An introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press.
McGinn, C. (2012). Truth by analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moellendorf, D. (2002). Cosmopolitan justice. Boulder: Westview Press.
Mundy, K. (2006). Education for all and the new development compact. International Review of Education, 52(1/2), 23–48.
Nussbaum, M. (1999). Sex and social justice. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2000). Women and human development: The capabilities approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Okin, S. (1989). Justice, gender and the family. New York: Basic Books.
Okin, S. (1998). Feminism and multiculturalism: Some tensions. Ethics, 108, 661–684.
Okin, S. (1999). Is multiculturalism bad for women? Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Pogge, T. (1989). Realizing Rawls. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Pogge, T. (2002). World poverty and human rights. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Rawls, J. (1993). Political liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press.
Rawls, J. (1999). The independence of moral theory. In S. Freeman (Ed.), John Rawls: Collected papers (pp. 286–302). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Sachs, J. (2008). Common wealth: Economics for a crowded planet. London: Allen Lane.
Sandel, M. (2009). Justice. What’s the right thing to do? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Scanlon, T. (2003). Rawls on justification. In S. Freeman (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to Rawls (pp. 139–167). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scheffler, S. (2001). Boundaries and allegiances: Problems of justice and responsibility in liberal thought. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Singer, P. (2002). One world: The ethics of globalization. Melbourne: Text Publishing.
Tinneveldt, R., & De Schutter, H. (2009). Introduction: Global democracy and exclusion. Metaphilosophy, 40(1), 1–7.
UNESCO. (2000). Dakar framework for action: Education for all: Meeting our collective commitments including six regional frameworks for action. Online at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121147e.pdf. Accessed 28 June 12.
UNESCO. (2008). EFA Global Monitoring Report: Education for all by 2015, will we make it? Online at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001548/154820e.pdf. Accessed 1 July 12.
UNESCO. (2010). EFA Global Monitoring Report: Reaching the marginalised. Online at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2010-marginalization/. Accessed 14 July 12.
Voice, P. (2011). Rawls explained: From fairness to utopia. Chicago: Open Court Press.
Young, I. (1996). Communication and the other. In S. Benhabib (Ed.), Democracy and difference: Contesting the boundaries of the political (pp. 120–135). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Enslin, P., Tjiattas, M. (2015). 6.6 Philosophical Approaches to Educational Research: Justice, Democracy, and Education. In: Smeyers, P., Bridges, D., Burbules, N., Griffiths, M. (eds) International Handbook of Interpretation in Educational Research. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9282-0_56
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9282-0_56
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9281-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9282-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)