Justice-Learning: Service-Learning as Justice-Oriented Education

Abstract "Justice-learning" lies at the intersection of service-learning and social justice education. Specifically, I argue for a distinctive form of community-based learning ("antifoundational service-learning") that fosters a justice-oriented framework ("anti-anti-social justice") that makes possible the questioning and disruption of unexamined and all too often oppressive binaries of how we view the struggle toward equity in education. The linkage of service-learning and social justice education in this manner offers a "weak overcoming" that strengthens experiential learning toward justice while avoiding the dilution and radicalization faced by both movements. I, thus, trace the linkages between service-learning and social justice education; explicate the potential of antifoundational service-learning as a form of anti-anti-social justice; and draw out the potential and implication of this linkage for both service-learning and social justice education. Notes 1. This essay was greatly strengthened by feedback from Maurianne Adams, Gitte Wernaa Butin, Margaret Himley, Brian Schultz, and Joel Westheimer. Moreover, Maurianne Adams' commitment to the idea for this theme issue is greatly appreciated. Finally, this compilation of work could not have happened without Elaine Whitlock's careful and superb editorial guidance. 2. I use the terms "social justice education" and "justice-oriented education" interchangeably throughout this article even though the two refer to two distinctive foci. The former refers to focused programmatic interventions (e.g., specific curricular content and pedagogical processes) whereas the latter refers to paradigmatic orientations. Nevertheless, most justice-oriented education makes use of specific curricular interventions; and all social justice education is guided by specific justice-oriented paradigms. Thus since social justice education is both a process and a goal, I find the interchangeability legitimate if not exact.