Social justice remains a foundational principle within democratic frameworks, yet its interpretation and implementation vary significantly across national contexts. While the European Higher Education Area has formally committed itself to strengthening the social dimension of tertiary education, disparities in freedoms and protections continue to affect women, minority communities and other marginalized groups. Against this backdrop, tertiary education institutions are confronted with a pressing sociological question: how can they meaningfully contribute to the development of social justice awareness among students and teachers, and what societal effects might follow from such engagement?
This essay positions tertiary education as a sociological field of interaction in which three primary actors - institutions, teachers, and students, co-construct norms, values, and practices. Rather than treating education as a neutral site of knowledge transmission, the essay approaches it as a relational space shaped by formal policies, institutional culture, and everyday interaction. Drawing on previous empirical insights, this essay seeks to examine how social justice awareness is fostered, negotiated, or constrained within these relationships.
The urgency of this inquiry is underscored by contemporary social developments. Research has highlighted the positive impact of social justice education on civic development and student empowerment (Crawford, 2022; Kim et al., 2017; Williamson, 2017). However, these efforts coexist with rising misogyny, conspiracy thinking, and polarization among segments of young adults (Off et al., 2022; Uscinski et al., 2022). Social media platforms have amplified narratives that frame gender equality and diversity initiatives as ideological threats, and instances of discriminatory behavior within student associations have gained public attention. Such developments raise fundamental concerns about whether tertiary education institutions are effectively counterbalancing external influences or whether their impact is being diluted by broader socio-digital ecosystems.
From a theoretical standpoint, we draw on classical and contemporary sociological perspectives. Emile Durkheim’s conception of education as a mechanism for transmitting societal norms and preparing individuals for participation in industrial society provides an initial frame (Abbott, 1981; Scott, 2014). Yet the concept of the “hidden curriculum,” introduced by Snyder (1973), complicates this view by demonstrating how implicit values and attitudes are conveyed through institutional structures and teacher practices. The hidden curriculum may reproduce inequalities when unexamined, particularly affecting marginalized students such as autistic learners or minority students (Byrne, 2020; Cage & Howes, 2020; Koutsouris et al., 2021; Wong & Chiu, 2021). In this light, social justice awareness is not only a matter of explicit curriculum design but also of reflexive institutional practice.
Institutions themselves play a multidimensional role in shaping social justice discourse. Tertiary education institutions increasingly emphasize diversity and inclusion in recruitment strategies, signaling a shift from purely academic branding toward social positioning (Ihme et al., 2016). Policies aligned with the European Tertiary Education Area mandate attention to underrepresented and vulnerable groups, reinforcing structural commitments to equity. Research on inclusive education suggests that frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning can improve both teacher perspectives and classroom practices (Galkiene, 2021a, 2021b; Super et al., 2021). Nevertheless, institutional commitments must be examined critically to determine whether they translate into substantive organizational change or remain primarily symbolic.
Teachers occupy a particularly influential position within this landscape. Although educational paradigms have shifted from teacher-centered to student-centered models, the relational dimension between teacher and student has often been underexplored (Orón Semper & Blasco, 2018). Teachers inevitably transmit cultural assumptions, ethical positions, and social attitudes through everyday interaction. Research indicates that when educators intentionally integrate social justice principles into pedagogy, positive outcomes emerge in terms of inclusion and student development (Byrd et al., 2019; Hymel & Katz, 2019). Conversely, unexamined biases within the hidden curriculum may reinforce exclusion or inequality. Understanding teachers’ lived experiences and perceptions of social justice is therefore essential to evaluating how awareness is cultivated in practice.
Students themselves represent not merely recipients but active participants in the co-construction of social justice norms. Although the section on transformative learning remains under development in the proposal, the theoretical direction suggests that shifts in perspective occur through critical reflection and dialogic engagement. If tertiary education is to function as a counterweight to polarizing narratives circulating online, it must cultivate not only knowledge but also reflexivity, empathy, and critical reasoning.
We address a critical tension: while tertiary education is expected to promote equity and democratic values, it operates within a broader social environment marked by polarization and misinformation. The central question is therefore not only whether institutions endorse social justice, but how relational dynamics within tertiary education influence the durability and societal impact of that awareness.
In a time when democratic principles are contested and narratives of exclusion gain visibility, tertiary education institutions are uniquely positioned as sites of reflection, resistance, and renewal. Whether they fulfill this role depends less on policy rhetoric and more on everyday interactions between teachers, institutions, and students. By examining these interactions closely, future research should seek to illuminate both the practices and the challenges of fostering social justice in contemporary higher education.
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