Educating for intergenerational justice: adolescence and critical pedagogy from a global perspective

Abstract

In the context of contemporary global crises, intergenerational justice is often framed in temporal terms, overlooking inequalities among co-present generations. This article proposes a pedagogical reinterpretation of adultcentrism as a form of intergenerational injustice that limits the recognition of adolescents as political subjects in the present, drawing on critical and decolonial perspectives. This paper presents the findings of research combining a thematic analysis of adolescents’ narratives with a Critical Discourse Analysis of institutional and media texts. Findings reveal a gap between public discourses, centered on risk and emergency, and youth voices expressing agency and a demand for participation. The article proposes critical Global Citizenship Education as a pedagogical approach to reopen spaces for intergenerational co-decision.