DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2706-6185/55/63-68
Kamran Valizada
Nakhchivan State University
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8999-3388
mr.kamranvalizada@gmail.com
Social Justice and Inequality in Education:
A Theoretical and Social Analysis
Abstract
This study examines the concepts of social justice and inequality in education within a theoretical framework and analyzes their broader social implications. Although education is one of the most fundamental institutions shaping individuals’ life chances, it can also function as a mechanism through which social, economic, and cultural inequalities are reproduced. In this context, the study explores what social justice in education entails, its theoretical foundations, and the extent to which contemporary education policies align with these principles.
The first section discusses the concept of social justice from historical and theoretical perspectives, drawing on John Rawls’s principle of justice as fairness and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital to analyze the structural roots of educational inequalities. The second section focuses on the Turkish education system as a case study, examining how variables such as socioeconomic status, regional disparities, gender, and ethnic identity shape students’ access to educational opportunities. These analyses are based on both qualitative and quantitative data sources.
The study concludes that education policies must be reassessed through a social justice lens. Building an equitable and inclusive education system requires not only providing equal opportunities but also offering targeted support to disadvantaged groups. The policy recommendations proposed aim to contribute to the realization of justice in education at both theoretical and practical levels.
Keywords: social justice, inequality in education, cultural capital, equal opportunity, education policies