Abstract
Bahá’í-inspired educational endeavors naturally seek, among other aims, to instill capacity in young people to build a more just society. Other educational efforts in North America share this aim, which is often expressed using the term “social justice.” This paper analyses conceptions of authority, freedom, power, equality, and identity that are mobilized in the context of educational endeavors associated with the aim of social justice. Some of these conceptions, it is argued, can lead to certain confusions in educational thought and practice. If education, Bahá’í-inspired or otherwise, is to contribute to social justice, careful attention needs to be given to the way these concepts are understood and translated into action.
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