From gap to debt: Rethinking equity metaphors in education

Authors

  • Frances Vavrus University of Minnesota

Abstract

This article draws upon my keynote address delivered at the 44th Oceania and Comparative and International Education Society (OCIES) Conference held at the University of Sydney.  It examines how the metaphors and other forms of symbolic language used to describe educational dilemmas shape the responses that are imaginable in addressing them.  In particular, it argues for a shift from the metaphor of equity gaps to one of education debt so as to recognize more fully the political, temporal, and spatial dimensions of inequity and inequality.  The article uses examples from the U.S. and Tanzania but suggests that the metaphor of debt has relevance for countries across Oceania and in other world regions.

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Published

2017-11-03

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2017)

Section

Vol 17(1) Special Edition

License

The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives is the official journal of the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society. The IEJ, (ISSN 1443-1475), publishes a general volume bi-annually in July and December and also publishes Special Editions occasionally. It is a free, open-access scholarly journal, managed by volunteers. There are no article processing charges, or any charges to authors.

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