Beyond Redistribution: Rethinking Educational Equity for Racially Minoritised Learners through Deficit Thinking, Affirmative Action, and Inclusion

Wang Mingjun(University College London)

Abstract

Persistent racial inequities in education reveal the limits of redistributive approaches that focus narrowly on access and resources. This paper argues that genuine educational equity requires a plural conception of justice encompassing material, cultural, and political transformation. Drawing on Fraser’s (1995) model of redistribution, recognition, and representation, it re-examines three interconnected frameworks—deficit thinking, affirmative action, and inclusion—as distinct but complementary responses to racial inequality. Deficit thinking exposes misrecognition within dominant cultural hierarchies; affirmative action addresses redistributive injustice through structural redress; and inclusion seeks representational reform by transforming belonging and institutional culture. Through a critical synthesis of these perspectives, the paper develops a Plural Equity Framework that reconceptualises educational justice beyond compensatory or tokenistic measures. It concludes that advancing racial equity demands coordinated action across policy, pedagogy, and institutional practice to affirm and empower racially minoritised learners within education systems.

Keywords

Educational equity, Racial inequality, Deficit thinking, Affirmative action, Inclusion Recognition, Representation

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12345/ret.v8i2.33854