Caroline Sarojini Hart

The capability approach and education

I am delighted to introduce this special issue of the Cambridge Journal of Education which is focused on the capability approach and its application to the field of education (the terms ‘capability approach’ and ‘capabilities approach’ are variously used by different authors). The capability approach, as originally developed by Amartya Sen, has gathered momentum in educational contexts in recent years and this journal issue provides a timely opportunity to disseminate some of the latest thinking in this area. In April 2011, under the auspices of the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA), an international conference was held on the capability approach in relation to children, education and researching inside and outside schools (see www.capabilityapproach.org for more information). The conference was hosted by the University of Cambridge and organized by the Children’s Thematic Group within the HDCA. The papers and debates were very fertile and provided the impetus to develop a special journal issue dedicated to this field of study. (Previous special journal issues on the capability approach and education include Hinchcliffe, 2007 and Hinchcliffe & Terzi, 2009.) The call for papers generated overwhelming interest from across the globe and it was challenging to narrow down the selection of papers that have finally appeared in this issue. It is worth making this point for two reasons. First, the sheer volume and diversity of papers submitted is indicative of the exponential increase in interest in researching applications and theoretical development of the capability approach with regard to education. Secondly, it is important to note that this special issue highlights a selection of key issues being pursued in the field but is clearly not exhaustive or fully representative of all areas of development. Education continues to be a central pillar of global development agendas. However, the United Nations reports that ‘international multi-agency machineries trudge doggedly towards the pursuit of achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, despite the fact that universal success in achieving the goals remains beyond grasp of many countries’ (United Nations, 2010). The international directives on education development tend to be predominantly focused on universal access to education at the primary level and to reducing gender disparities in access. The Millennium Development Goals have targeted specific outcomes for educational provision, including ensuring that ‘by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling’ and eliminating ‘gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015’ (United Nations, 2010). In addition, the World Bank recently stated that it, ‘has placed education at the forefront of its poverty-fighting mission since 1962, and is the largest external financier of education in the developing world’ (World Bank, 2012a). Cambridge Journal of Education Vol. 42, No. 3, September 2012, 275–282

How Do Aspirations Matter

Abstract This paper explores the complex roles of aspirations in relation to human development, drawing upon the capability approach. The paper examines the notion of feasibility of aspirations and the impact feasibility judgements have on aspiration formation and aspiration realization, in terms of both capabilities and functionings. In particular this paper extends existing theory by building on Harts dynamic multi-dimensional model of aspiration and Harts aspiration set (2012. Aspiration, Education and Social Justice - Applying Sen and Bourdieu. London: Bloomsbury). The theorization builds on empirical work, undertaken in the UK, seeking to understand pupils’ aspirations on leaving school and college at age 17–19 as well as reviewing wider empirical and theoretical literature in this field. The discussion contributes to capability theory by extending understanding regarding first, the way that aspirations are connected to capabilities and functionings, secondly, the processes by which aspirations are converted into capabilities and thirdly, how certain capabilities become functionings. The paper reflects on the criteria that inform choices about the cultivation and selection of different aspirations on individual and collective bases. In concluding the paper the question of, “how do aspirations matter?” is addressed. Ultimately, an argument is made for the need to “reclaim” a rich multi-dimensional concept of aspiration in order to pursue human development and flourishing for all.

Closing the Capabilities Gap: Renegotiating Social Justice for the Young

This is an informative and engaging text that will appeal particularly to those who are already familiar with the capability approach and wish to learn more about empirical applications. The editors’ introduction helps to orientate the reader, although numbered chapters would help readers to navigate the text more easily. The book is divided into two main parts, with the first concentrating on the renegotiation of social justice with regard to both policy and research. The second part goes on to identify and address ‘capability gaps’ of the young, and in particular considers the implications of the capability approach for empirical studies in this area. Contributions are made by a wide range of international authors with a European emphasis. In the opening chapter Robert Salais examines the concept of social citizenship, focusing particularly on Europe. This is a timely examination of social relationships in Europe, which are, according to Salais, integrally linked to economic relations between European countries. An appraisal of the capability approach leads to the suggestion that deliberative structures and active participation of Europeans can lead to flourishing social citizenship. In the present time of austerity, the issue of how to generate these ideals of citizenship has become more pressing and, although perhaps idealistic, Salais’ cautious optimism is welcome. By contrast, Hartley Dean considers some of the limitations of the capability approach juxtaposing it with discourse on social rights. He offers several caveats to the effective application of the capability approach yet recognizes it retains substantial potential to address welfare reform issues. This chapter also raises the concept of autonomy, taken up elsewhere in the book (see Mirtha Muniz Castillo’s chapter and also Biggeri et al. on children’s autonomy). The pursuit of autonomy as a goal of human development is identified by Dean as an objective to be viewed cautiously. By contrast, Castillo carefully dissects the nature of autonomy, considering conceptual and practical issues, before constructing a model to illustrate the relationship of autonomy to agency and entitlements. Her contribution will hopefully stimulate much-needed debate on further understanding the nature of autonomy (for further critique, see Michael Hand’s (2006) ‘Against Autonomy as an Educational Aim’, Oxford Review of Education, 32(4), pp. 535–550). Journal of Human Development and Capabilities Vol. 13, No. 3, August 2012

The capability approach for medical education: AMEE Guide No. 97

Abstract The capability approach, with its origins in economic and human development work, has a focus on the freedom of persons to make choices about how they wish to lead a valued life. There has been increasing recognition within general education that the capability approach offers a theoretical and practical framework to both implement and evaluate educational interventions that are designed to increase social justice, such as widening participation. There is great potential for the capability approach to also offer medical education a creative way for changing and evaluating curricula, with an emphasis on the teacher facilitating students to achieve their potential by recognising their aspirations and challenging the constraining factors to achieve their aspirations.

Children and the Capability Approach

The application and development of the capability approach (CA) to research with children is an exciting and emerging field. Great strides have been made in a relatively short period of time and Children and the Capability Approach is a much-needed book highlighting theoretical and practical issues regarding the CA and research with children. One of the main strengths of the book lies in the nuanced interpretations of images of childhood, children’s perspectives and the socio-cultural positioning of children in different societies. In this sense nothing is taken for granted, and in the opening pages we are asked ‘What are we talking about when we speak of “childhood”?’ A second strength is the diverse and insightful contribution to methodological approaches to capability-oriented research with children, illustrated with vivid case studies from around the globe. The book is subdivided into four main parts and there are contributions from a wide range of international scholars. Part I introduces some important theoretical background with regard to both the CA and to changing conceptions of childhood. The role of children as active rather than passive agents is emphasized in Chapter Two and is continually reflected throughout the book. In Part II of the book, examples are presented, in seven chapters, of different ways in which the CA has been applied to research in relation to children. These examples help to illustrate some of the strengths, as well as the challenges, of putting the CA into practice. I was particularly struck by the inclusion of several chapters (Chapters Five, Seven and Eight) that focused on street children’s lives. In Chapter Eight, Serrokh observes: ‘street children are far from representing a homogenous population’ (p. 177). The three diverse examples drawn from Kampala, Peru and Bangladesh illuminate the complexity of children’s relationships with the street, with some working there, some living and working there and, arguably, some in transitory phases on the edge of street life. Serrokh’s chapter is particularly fascinating, as it portrays the somewhat controversial practices of a micro-finance initiative for street children in Bangladesh. There initially appears to be something incongruent about facilitating child labor on the street, but the chapter reveals the complex nature of these children’s lives and how some children’s autonomy and agency may be expanded through such initiatives. This exemplifies the way that Children and the Capability Approach encourages readers to Journal of Human Development and Capabilities Vol. 13, No. 2, May 2012

Understanding cultural dissonance and the development of social identities

In this first open issue of volume 27 for 2018, we have selected a complementary set of papers that together foreground debates around the construction of social identities and experiences of cultu...

International perspectives on social inequalities, excellence and aspiration in education

We are delighted to introduce a set of five papers in this issue. The papers are drawn from five European countries with each focused on a specific national context and yielding insights with global relevance in the study of the sociology of education. The authors present readers with theoretical arguments and empirical evidence aiming to illuminate the impact that different institutions and systems of education, for example, early tracking (Germany and the Czech Republic), have had in the various national contexts. In addition, the agency of key stakeholders is considered, notably including the families of learners as well as the scholars themselves (Greece). The core issues that are addressed in the first paper centre around notions of equality and excellence and how the pursuit of each might impinge on the other as well as resulting in unintended consequences. In this paper, in the context of the German education system, Tobias Peter and Ulrich Bröckling discuss notions of equality and excellence which they argue are ‘societal constructions’ (p. 232). They explain the tripartite secondary offer for lower, middle and higher achieving pupils in Germany (akin to the British system of 11-plus examination). Ultimately, they argue that there is an inherent paradox in the pursuit of equality and optimising social mobility that means, ‘the imbalance of opportunity still remains’ (p. 240). In a similar vein, they conclude that there is a contradiction in the pursuit of excellence in the sense that it may well stifle the ways of being that lead to excellence, especially with regard to creativity. Their insights give us cause to pause and reflect on the all too often dominant discourses within education contexts, near and far, that call for equality for all and the pursuit of excellence as an unshakeable mantra. Specifically where excellence is ascribed through ranking of institutions, programmes of study or graduate employment outcomes, this may engender a cultural tendency to pursue a certain kind of excellence that dampens innovation and creativity and that creates elites at the expense of equity, cohesion and collaboration. Carole Daverne-Bailly and Yves Dutercq draw attention to the inequalities in the French higher education system. They report that around half of the places on preparatory classes for entry to the elite higher education sector go to students from a ‘socially or culturally privileged background’ and that there were gender disparities as well as regional differences in access to a preparatory course (p. 248). They report the significant efforts over recent years to extend the pool of recruits to the preparatory courses for the grandes ecoles, including a significant expansion in provision. They conclude that the preparatory courses and higher education itself remain segmented and the expanded numbers participating create an illusion of democratisation. This resonates with long-standing debates on widening participation in the UK and elsewhere. Despite numbers increasing, the social divisions between courses and institutions persists, calling policy-makers to critically reflect on what course of action might actually lead to genuine social diversity in elite institutions.

The travels and challenges of theory and practice in education

One of the driving aims of International Studies in Sociology of Education is to foster a scholarly space in which new thinking on educational theory and practice can be presented, debated and advanced. We are pleased to introduce the fourth issue of Volume 26 which takes up this generative project so directly and in such diverse ways. Though emerging from different contextual issues and drawing on varying approaches, the papers in this issue are linked by their interest in two interrelated questions that we hope readers will continue to respond to in future pages of this journal: how do educational ideas and practices travel, and what challenges and contestations emerge from these movements? The paper by Gerardo Blanco Ramírez, for example, draws on the perspectives and metaphors of the French cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard to suggest that the field of sociology of education needs to consider theory less as a ‘representation’ of the world and more as a ‘challenge’ to it. Here, the travel of ideas is itself an analytic method. We are urged to move beyond deterministic ways of mobilising our theoretical resources in order to open up new vectors of intellectual engagement. Ramírez shows how these ideas help us think anew about normative categories in education – namely the notion of ‘world class’ universities in contexts of internationalisation and global competition. This task of theoretical reflexivity is also taken up by Leonel Lim, albeit with respect to a very different set of ideational resources. Lim’s article examines the concept and practice of ‘critical thinking’ in the Singapore school education context. His research, drawing on the sociology of Basil Bernstein, offers a response to sociological theories that pay too little attention to the resistances and transformations that are always present in structures of domination. Importantly, the piece argues for an attentiveness to the contextual contingencies of theoretical ideas. What does it mean for Bernsteinian theories, for example, to be taken up in very different spatial, temporal and diverse cultural and political contexts? How do Bernstein’s concepts travel and get recontextualised in places like Singapore? Lim argues that Bernsteinian sociology continues to offer a powerful framework for understanding curriculum reform. Key to this endeavour is applying this framework in ways that respond to, and account sufficiently for, the different relations of state authority in education. The strong developmental state of Singapore is a vivid case in point. Pushing the boundaries of sociology of education, the paper by Jae Park puts forward an intellectually provocative idea of a heart-mind epistemology that runs through Confucian-heritage cultures. Park examines the concept of ‘high-ability’ in educational discourses, and in a departure from sociological accounts that historicise the concept in order to argue against its ‘innateness’ and thus divisiveness, the paper seeks to develop a culturally and psychologically inflected understanding of ‘high-ability’ to show it is something to be nurtured. The sociological ramifications of this argument emerge as Park aims to fundamentally challenge how educationalists approach ideas of ‘giftedness’. Key

The School Food Plan and the social context of food in schools

Abstract This paper explores the social context of food practices in primary schools in England based on research conducted in 2013–2014 as part of the Sheffield School Food Project. Drawing on the capability approach, and social quality theory, the theoretical framework informed a research methodology enabling exploration of ways in which food practices are related to developing pupil well-being and building school communities. It was found that complex social processes influence the roles of food in primary schools in England. These processes enhance and diminish the likelihood of pupils consuming balanced meals, drinks and snacks across the school day. Moreover it was found that, in addition to nutritional outcomes, food practices are related to wider aspects of individual well-being and the social culture of schools. A key outcome of the research was the development of the School Food Self-Evaluation Toolbox (SET). The School Food SET and related resources aim to empower children and their school communities by providing a set of tools to support the self-evaluation and development of food practices in schools.

Amartya Sen’s capability approach and social justice in education, edited by M. Walker and E. Unterhalter, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, 292 pp., £19.99, ISBN 978-0-23-010459-4

Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter’s edited collection provides essential reading for those who wish to understand the progress and journey of the field of education in relation to the capability approach (CA) and social justice. The book develops theoretical understandings of the CA and education, focusing mainly on developing children’s capabilities through education, leadership and administration, gender equality and the role of higher education. In this sense, the book does not give a comprehensive overview, but rather uses the selected examples to demonstrate some of the key strengths and challenges of applying the CA in education. In terms of structure, the book is divided into three key parts. Part I tackles ‘Theoretical Perspectives on the Capability Approach and Education’, with three broad theoretical chapters and two gender-oriented chapters. Part II moves on to consider applications of the CA. Chapter Seven considers the role of capabilities in the management of trust, while Chapter Eight discusses education and capabilities in Bangladesh. There is a chapter on gender equality (Chapter Nine), one on children’s capabilities (Chapter 10) as well as a chapter on women’s access to higher education (Chapter 11). Part III of the book consists of a concluding chapter, written by editors Walker and Unterhalter. This is followed by a helpful bibliography at the end and; although this bibliography is now somewhat out of date, the editors have helpfully included the web address of the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA), where a more up-to-date bibliography on education and the CA is maintained. The editors are keen to point out that the CA is not a complete theory of justice (3) and posit that Sen’s famous question, ‘equality of what?’, encourages us to think about the kind of equality we wish to pursue. Thus, in education this might relate to ‘equivalent learning opportunities’ (3), but arguably also to experiences and consequences of education. In the opening pages, Walker and Unterhalter helpfully outline some of the fundamental concepts within the CA including the nature of equality, capabilities, British Journal of Sociology of Education Vol. 33, No. 4, July 2012, 607–619