Achieving social justice within and through higher education: the challenge for critical pedagogy

Jan McArthur

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract / Description of output

    While the term critical pedagogy embraces a range of writers and literature, a common feature of all is a belief that education and society are intrinsically inter-related and that the fundamental purpose of education is to improve social justice. However there are perceptions that critical pedagogy has been more successful in critiquing educational and social practices than in achieving actual change. In this paper I explore two areas that critical pedagogy can address to move beyond critique: the importance of a movement formed by diverse elements, in which difference and disagreement are harnessed to help drive change; and the use of this diversity to direct change at a range of levels. My analysis draws specifically on literature that challenges managerialist assumptions about change as a simple, technical process, focusing instead on the complexities of the social world and the attendant complexities of achieving educational and social change.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)493-504
    Number of pages12
    JournalTeaching in Higher Education
    Volume15
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

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