ERIC Number: EJ1453527
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0159-6306
EISSN: EISSN-1469-3739
Available Date: N/A
Constellations in a Starry Sky: Building Epistemic Justice for Children of All Genders in Early Childhood Classrooms
Katie Steele; Julie Nicholson
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v45 n5-6 p754-770 2024
Every child has the right to express their authentic self and to have those expressions validated by the adults responsible for their care. However, young transgender and gender-expansive children's attempts to communicate about their genders are too often dismissed and discredited. In this conceptual paper, the authors draw on the concept of epistemic injustice -- and, specifically, testimonial and hermeneutical injustice -- as central to understanding the harms young trans and gender-expansive children face and their negative impact on children's learning and development. To build empathy, respect and belonging for TGE children, the authors recommend that early educators practice emergent listening to strengthen testimonial justice. To strengthen hermeneutical justice in early childhood, the authors introduce a new hermeneutical tool that centers child agency, the intersectional gender constellation. They describe what liberating early childhood programs can look like where educators are committed to epistemic justice for young children of all genders.
Descriptors: Social Justice, LGBTQ People, Sexual Identity, Minority Group Students, Equal Education, Social Bias, Empathy, Interpersonal Relationship, Early Childhood Teachers, Early Childhood Education, Teacher Role, Personal Autonomy, Student Characteristics, Intervention, Educational Environment, Consciousness Raising, Gender Issues
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A