Whose justice? An examination of nine models of justice

Understanding Social Justice in Social Work: A Content Analysis of Course Syllabi

“…For instance, as noted in the introduction, some have argued that the concept of social justice has been used to coerce and oppress some social work students who hold minority viewpoints (Sowers & Patchner, 2007). However, there does not appear to be any inherent, necessary conflict between the definition that emerged in this research and various secular and spiritually-based definitions of social justice that have appeared in the literature (Chatterjee & D'Aprix, 2002;McCormick, 2003). This suggests that the problem lies not with how the concept of social justice itself is understood but how the concept is taught in classroom settings.…”

“…This conceptualization serves as a starting point for further conversation. Although many understandings of social justice exist in the social work literature (Boucher & Kelly, 1998;Chatterjee & D'Aprix, 2002;Gil, 1998;McCormick, 2003;Reisch, 2002), it is this implicit conceptualization that students tend to encounter in their social justice courses. While an abstract "conceptual muddle" may exist in the literature (Scanlon & Longres, 2001, p. 444), this is the conceptualization that actually informs the profession on the ground.…”

“…Rather, a diffuse array of social justice definitions appears in the literature, reaching back to conceptualizations developed by Plato and Aristotle (Boucher & Kelly, 1998;Gil, 1998;Lebacqz, 1986;Pelton, 2001;Rawls, 1971;Reisch, 2002;Young, 1990). For instance, Chatterjee and D'Aprix (2002) argue that five basic types of social justice exist, while McCormick (2003) proposes the existence of nine models or theories of justice. Adding to what some have called a "conceptual muddle" (Scanlon & Longres, 2001, p. 444) is the fact that new conceptualizations of social justice continue to appear in the social work literature.…”

“…As implied earlier, many reviews of deductively based, grand theories have appeared in the social work literature (e.g., Chatterjee & D'Aprix, 2002;McCormick, 2003;Reisch, 2002). The extent to which these diverse, often conflicting conceptualizations of social justice are reflected in social work education remains an open question.…”

Social justice as a unifying theme in social work education: principles to realize the promise of a new pedagogical model

“…Yet, no agreed understanding of what constitutes a just society exists in the profession (Longres & Scanlon, 2001). A wide variety of types (Chatterjee & D'Aprix, 2002), perspectives (Van Soest & Garcia, 2003), conceptualizations (Sterba, 1999), and models (McCormick, 2003) of social justice have been advanced. Little agreement exists regarding what the concept signifies or how it should be operationalized (Boucher & Kelly, 1998;Gil, 1998;Pelton, 2001;Reisch, 2002).…”