Terminology: Social Justice in International Education, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Access, Accessibility, Intersectionality, and Social Construct
As society becomes more aware of different identities, experiences, and challenges, new terminology may emerge to better capture these nuances. Terms that were once widely used might become offensive over time, prompting the need for revisitation. Below are definitions for these terms:
Social Justice in International Education: Social Justice in International Education is a redistribution of resources that is designed to foster critical consciousness (Wick and Willis 2020, 13), develop critical interculturality, and work toward equitable impacts on individuals and their communities.
Diversity: Diversity refers to the presence of a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and characteristics within a group, organization, or community. These identities can include but are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, neurodiversity, religion, socioeconomic status, national origin, language, and more.
Equity: Equity is the concept of ensuring that everyone has fair and just opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background or identity, and the fair distribution of power and resources. It involves identifying and addressing systemic and structural barriers that can prevent certain individuals or groups from achieving their full potential.
Inclusion: Inclusion involves creating a space in which all individuals—regardless of their diverse identities, backgrounds, or experiences—feel seen, heard, respected, valued, and empowered to be themselves without fear of judgment, rejection, or mistreatment. It goes beyond mere representation and seeks to foster a sense of belonging for all.
Belonging: Belonging refers to the feeling of being accepted, valued, and included within a group or community. It's not just about being physically present but also about feeling a sense of connection, acceptance, and genuine engagement.
Access: Access relates to the availability and opportunity for individuals to participate in various activities, programs, and resources. This can include access to education, employment, health care, technology, and other aspects of society that promote an improved standard of living and being.
Accessibility: Accessibility is about designing environments, products, services, and digital content in a way that ensures people with disabilities can fully participate and access them without barriers. This can involve making physical spaces wheelchair accessible, using readable fonts for people with visual impairments, providing closed captions for videos, and more.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood among conventional ways of thinking (Crenshaw 1989, 149).
Social Construct: Social constructionism is a view that argues the self is formed through our interactions with others and in relationship to social, cultural, and political contexts (Allen 2011, 71-72).
Allen, Brenda J. 2011. Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé Williams. 1989. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” University of Chicago Legal Forum 1989, no. 8: 139–67.
Wick, David, and Tasha Willis. 2020. “How International Education Can Help Advance Social Justice.” In Social Justice and International Education: Research, Practice, and Perspectives, edited by LaNitra M. Berger, 11-42. Washington, D.C.: NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
These terms often intersect and are used in the context of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The goal is to create a society, organization, or community that not only embraces diversity but actively works to dismantle systemic barriers and biases, while fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals feel a sense of belonging and have equal opportunities to thrive.