Narrating Stories of Social Injustice and Justice: A Sociocultural Approach to Moral Dialogues

• In Event: 47.069 - Sociocultural and Dialogic Approaches to Moral Development and Identity Across the Life Span

Abstract

This study explored how six university students defined social injustice/justice and inquired about how the participants’ cultural backgrounds informed their definitions. The study addressed a gap in the traditional moral development literature identified by Tappan (1997, 2006a, 2006b), who argued that structural-developmental models lack sensitivity to the role of language and culture in moral functioning. Research participants engaged in narratives that allowed them to elicit their moral dialogues while defining social injustice/justice. Three main themes were identified: 1) equality and non-discrimination as core aspects defining social justice, 2) pathways from social injustice toward social justice, and 3) authoring themselves through moral dialogues. These themes were understood as categories describing how the participants constructed their definitions by using their mediational means.

Authors

• Natacha Monestel-Mora, The University of British Columbia

• Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur, The University of British Columbia