A Plural Approach to the Definition of Social Justice

Abstract

This chapter sets out a pragmatic approach to social justice, developed on the basis of a crosscutting analysis of thoughts and experiences collected and analysed by the Institute of Research and Debate on Governance (IRG) in the course of its activities. We aim to establish, beyond the normative approach, the notion of justness around which social justice policies are mainly deployed; on what basis actors (individuals or groups) recognise, accept and have confidence in powers, leaders, norms, regulatory systems and so on; what makes sense in terms of social justice in a given society. When, all told, has legitimacy been achieved?