Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education

273 Pages·2007·1.44 MB·English

by  Melanie Walker

Amartya Sen’s Capability
Approach and Social Justice in
Education
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Amartya Sen’s Capability
Approach and Social Justice in
Education
Edited by
Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter
AMARTYASEN’SCAPABILITYAPPROACHANDSOCIALJUSTICEINEDUCATION
© Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter, 2007
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-4039-7504-1
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2007 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
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Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union
and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-53573-6 I SBN 978-0-230-60481-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230604810
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Amartya Sen’s capability approach and social justice in education / Melanie
Walker and Elaine Unterhalter (editors.)
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-349-53573-6
1. Educational sociology. 2. Education—Economic aspects. 3. Learning
Ability. 4. Social Justice. 5. Sen, Amartya Kumar. I. Walker, Melanie.
II. Unterhalter, Elaine.
LC191.A56 2007
370.11’5–dc22
2007060032
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Macmillan India Ltd.
First edition: July 2007
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In memory of
Professor Terence McLaughlin,1949–2006
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Contents
List ofTables and Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Notes on Contributors xiii
1 The Capability Approach:Its Potential for
Work in Education 1
Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter
Part I Theoretical Perspectives on the Capability
Approach and Education 19
Editors’Introduction 21
2 The Capability to Be Educated 25
Lorella Terzi
3 Situating Education in the Human
Capabilities Approach 45
Pedro Flores-Crespo
4 Distribution ofWhat for Social Justice in Education?
The Case ofEducation for All by 2015 67
Elaine Unterhalter and Harry Brighouse
5 Gender Equality,Education,and the Capability Approach 87
Elaine Unterhalter
6 Measuring Capabilities:An Example from
Girls’Schooling 109
Rosie Vaughan
Part II Applications ofthe Capability Approach in Education 131
Editors’Introduction 133
7 Developing Capabilities and the Management ofTrust 137
Richard Bates
viii CONTENTS
8 Education and Capabilities in Bangladesh 157
Janet Raynor
9 Selecting Capabilities for Gender Equality in Education 177
Melanie Walker
10 Children’s Valued Capabilities 197
Mario Biggeri
11 The Capability Approach and Women’s
Economic Security:Access to Higher Education
under Welfare Reform 215
Luisa S.Deprez and Sandra S.Butler
Part III Taking the Capability Approach Forward in Education 237
12 Conclusion:Capabilities,Social Justice,and Education 239
Elaine Unterhalter and Melanie Walker
Bibliography 255
Index 265
List of Tables and Figures
Tables
3.1 Proposed framework to evaluate the
capabilities ofuniversity graduates 51
6.1 Well-being and agency achievements and
freedoms within,and through,formal
education 119
6.2 General capabilities through education,and
gender considerations 124
10.1 Percent ofchild delegates who identified
the capabilities at the CWCCL and at
the CWCCLE 206
10.2 Percent ofchildren who identified the
capabilities at Kampala,Uganda 207
10.3 Results ofcore question on capabilities at the
CWCCL and at the CWCCLE (percent):
The three most relevant capabilities 208
10.4 Results ofcore question on capabilities
at Kampala,Uganda (percent):The three
most relevant capabilities 209
Figures
4.1 Three different fields ofeducation and
capabilities 78
5.1 Contrasting distribution ofyoung men
and women completing university
degrees in mathematics and science in
two districts 94