Restorative Justice as Bully Panopticon: A Dual-Case Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 56
  In Roundtable Session: Social Justice and Decolonizing Leadership Perspectives

Abstract

This dual case study examines two schools where restorative practices were used to address bullying against a marginalized student, one who had a learning disability and another who identified as transgender. Their experiences are reminiscent of a pattern identified by Burdge, Hyemingway and Licona (2014), who identified that LGBTQ students are more likely to be monitored rather than protected. In each case, the victim was held accountable for making changes to his or her own behavior, and these changes were framed as growth opportunity. Thus, the restorative circle process complicates the typical dichotomy of "bully" and victim" found in bullying discourse. On the other hand, in both cases, the student being bullied inadvertently became the subject of surveillance.

Author

• Hilary Lustick, New York University