Plurilingualism for Transformative Social Justice in Language Education: A New Perspective

Abstract

The question of social justice in language education (LE) became prominent due to increased linguistic and cultural diversity fuelled by globalization and migration, which exacerbated social inequality in this neoliberal era. The critical “turn” in education resulted in the emphasis on issues of social inequality, racial discrimination, and decolonization of curriculum, among others. Nancy Fraser’s tripartite theory (3Rs), where social, cultural, and political injustices are compensated for by redistribution, recognition, and representation, has the potential to address social justice issues in LE. This theory has already been applied to education research, but not extensively. The purpose of this paper is to explore plurilingualism for social justice in LE by analysing its possibilities for cultural recognition, economic redistribution, and political representation and present a new understanding of the concept of social justice in LE through recognition, redistribution, and representation.