Educational leading practices and epistemic justice

This chapter explores the leadership practices of two principals, Peter and Christine, who worked in highly disadvantaged Australian communities and were recognized as exemplary by their education systems. Using Bourdieu’s practice theory to understand how life histories influence understandings and practices of socially just leadership, and Miranda Fricker’s (2007, 2017) framework for epistemic justice, the analysis examines how normative practices of social justice leadership may simultaneously perpetuate and address such injustices. While Peter understood his work to be about justice for the community in which he works, his paternalistic and deficit view undermined marginalized voices, perpetuating epistemic injustice. In contrast, Christine’s leading practices reflected a personal understanding of her community’s challenges, shaped by her own experiences of marginalization. Her practices emphasized an effort to develop shared social justice values in her school that promoted testimonial and hermeneutical justice through the valuing of the knowledge and experiences of her community. In this chapter we argue for nuanced analyses of leadership practices to address epistemic injustice and foster equitable educational experiences for marginalized children. By theorizing Peter and Christine’s practices through Fricker’s lens, it highlights the need for analyses that account for the complexities of how principals are understanding and enacting social justice in their schools.