Teaching for Social Justice in Physical Education

This introductory chapter provides the conceptual foundations for understanding teaching for social justice in physical education (PE). It begins by examining why social justice has become an increasingly important concern in contemporary PE in response to continuing inequalities related to gender, race, ethnicity, disability, social class, sexuality and dominant body norms. The chapter then explores how social justice has been conceptualised within educational and PE scholarship, considering key concepts such as equity, inclusion, diversity, recognition and participation alongside the major theoretical traditions that have informed this field of scholarship. Building on this discussion, the chapter argues that teaching for social justice cannot be understood through universal pedagogical models or decontextualised principles. Instead, it emerges through the ongoing negotiation of relationships, curriculum, policy and the historical, cultural, political and institutional contexts in which teaching and learning occur. The chapter concludes by reinforcing the central premise of this edited collection, that context matters, while providing an overview of how the subsequent chapters present diverse, situated examples of teaching for social justice across fourteen educational contexts spanning five continents.