Reconsidering the Notion of Social Justice from an Elite Theory Perspective
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| Title: | Reconsidering the Notion of Social Justice from an Elite Theory Perspective |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Maurizio Toscano (ORCID |
| Source: | British Journal of Educational Studies. 2025 73(3):345-366. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Social Justice, Social Theories, Advantaged, Cultural Maintenance, Self Concept, Social Systems, Educational Theories, Advocacy, Ideology, Power Structure, Political Attitudes, Social Class, Social Differences |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00071005.2024.2415621 |
| ISSN: | 0007-1005 1467-8527 |
| Abstract: | We explore social justice advocacy and education from the vantage point of elite theory as articulated in the works of Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto. Elite theory is applied here to re-appraise the explicit and implicit educational means and ends inspired by contemporary social justice along three inter-related dimensions: the place of ideology, particularly of the utopian kind; systems of juridical justice; and the pursuit and maintenance of power by elites. We identify in the utopian stance of social justice the potential for privileging self-sustaining and perpetual activity in the here and now -- as a superhuman and heroic project -- at the future's expense. The paper also explores how social justice may disrupt and exploit Mosca's 'juridical defence' (in which power is a check on power). Finally, we suggest that social justice education can be understood as the political positioning of an elite characterised by an instinct for combining ideas and concepts (Pareto's Class I), over and against elites seeking the preservation of group identities and categories (Class II). These themes are explored in the context of education. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1473981 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | We explore social justice advocacy and education from the vantage point of elite theory as articulated in the works of Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto. Elite theory is applied here to re-appraise the explicit and implicit educational means and ends inspired by contemporary social justice along three inter-related dimensions: the place of ideology, particularly of the utopian kind; systems of juridical justice; and the pursuit and maintenance of power by elites. We identify in the utopian stance of social justice the potential for privileging self-sustaining and perpetual activity in the here and now -- as a superhuman and heroic project -- at the future's expense. The paper also explores how social justice may disrupt and exploit Mosca's 'juridical defence' (in which power is a check on power). Finally, we suggest that social justice education can be understood as the political positioning of an elite characterised by an instinct for combining ideas and concepts (Pareto's Class I), over and against elites seeking the preservation of group identities and categories (Class II). These themes are explored in the context of education. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0007-1005 1467-8527 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00071005.2024.2415621 |
