Promoting Social Equity, Fairness, and Racial Justice in Development

The outstanding feature of this publication is the cutting-edge scholarship and research on how social equity, fairness and racial justice are implicated in the lives of children and adolescents. Recommendations are made for new lines of research on human development that have implications for improving the lives of children, adolescents and communities. A number of scholars across academia have called for a greater incorporation of social and racial justice approaches to the field of human development and have asserted that social justice constitutes both a theoretical framework as well as a set of hypotheses to investigate and understand the human condition. The emergence, experience and awareness of social injustice must be much better understood from both a psychological and developmental perspective. Four areas that reflect theoretical changes in human development research are featured in this special issue: a) socialization theories about race, b) ethnic/racial identity and development, c) developmental social identity and moral reasoning and d) lay theories and social essentialism. Childhood and adolescence are periods of intense change and development; research on human development is uniquely positioned to promote change that will contribute to challenging social and racial injustice. This publication is recommended for scholars, research scientists, academics and students in social science and human development who are interested in understanding anti-racist scholarship regarding children's socialization, ethnic-racial identity development, moral reasoning and intergroup dynamics. The research examines these topics from diverse theoretical perspectives and is pertinent in addressing prejudice and social inequality.