Nancy Fraser, Social Justice and Education

Book excerpt: The American scholar and activist Nancy Fraser has written about a wide range of issues in social and political theory, and is well-known for her philosophical perspectives on democratic theory and on feminist theory. Her work on justice and identity politics has been particularly widely cited, and she has also been active in developing a ‘feminism for the 99%’. Although education has not been a direct focus for much of her work, her thinking has been widely disseminated within the critical study of education. This volume illustrates the way in which education researchers have taken up and developed Fraser’s theories in the areas of alternative education, higher education, inclusion and disability, and the effects of neoliberalism upon public (state) education, as they ask how social justice within the education system can be enhanced. These insightful essays cover a range of countries and topics, as the authors work with Fraser’s concepts, to argue for the development of a more equitable education system. The chapters in this book were originally published as articles in Taylor and Francis journals.