Social Justice

Democracy rests on the principle of social nondiscrimination; it comes with the promise that no one will be discriminated against on the basis of their socially ascribed identity. The concept of social justice focuses on this democratic commitment. As the constitutions of most democracies pledge that all citizens, irrespective of their race, religion, caste and gender, will be treated alike or identically, discussions around social justice interrogate this norm. They ask if identical treatment is sufficient for ensuring ėquality for all. Questions of social justice alert us to the unfinished tasks of democracy. They reveal that in contemporary societies, group membership and subject location remain significant: they influence access to valued social goods. Under the circumstances, some form of positive intervention and affirmative action in favour of groups that are systematically disadvantaged or discriminated against is necessary to ensure equality. When some people have a head start due to their position in the social structure, open competition cannot be fair. The challenge however is to devise policies that can minimize, and eventually eliminate, structural inequality without submerging the individual citizen in particularistic identities.