Children’s views on justice concerns related to sustainable development

This study presents perceptions of justice by 10- to 12-year-old children. The material consists of responses to one open question from two different datasets. The first dataset consists of texts from three studies in Sweden. The second set was gathered in 2019 in an interview study involving both South African and Swedish children. The texts are analysed regarding (a) what matters of justice they articulate as read in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030; (b) who the beneficiary of justice is thought to be; and finally, (c) how the texts by children relate matters of justice to national borders. This analytical model draws on the theory of justice developed by Nancy Fraser. The results show considerable variation over time and in relation to the location in Sweden or South Africa, but a general trend is that children articulate matters that are of concrete concern to them and these can be related to the SDGs. A crucial presupposition for the study is the recognition of children’s voices as mattering, both as citizens and in educational work with matters of sustainability.