Weaving Justice into the Fabric of Post-Critical Perspective on Education

This paper investigates the potential of integrating the concept of justice into the post-critical theory of education. Drawing on the resonance of Hannah Arendt’s ideas within post-critical pedagogy, and acknowledging the communal dimension inherent in education, I propose the inclusion of justice as an essential element in post-critical educational discourse. The analysis critically engages with the ontological foundations of Arendt’s reflections on education, assessing their implications for the status of justice from a postcritical perspective. While Arendt’s strict delineation between the ontologies of politics and education presents a challenge to the straightforward application of justice within a post-critical perspective, this paper argues that justice remains vital for addressing the communal and ethical dimensions of education - as both a concern for the common world and an axiomatic affirmation of the subject’s capabilities in terms of equality, with the latter framed through a Rancièrean lens. To this end, I draw on alternative philosophical perspectives, particularly that of Alain Badiou, whose ideas are already integrated into the post-critical perspective on education, to explore pathways for incorporating justice into post-critical framework.

Parole chiave:Justice;Education;post-critical theory of education;the political;ontology of education;ethics

Astrid Meczkowska-Christiansen, Weaving Justice into the Fabric of Post-Critical Perspective on Education in "EDUCATIONAL REFLECTIVE PRACTICES" 1 Special Issue/2025, pp 29-41, DOI: 10.3280/erpoa1SI-2025oa19362