ABSTRACT
Examining identity-based bullying as a social justice issue requires one to recognize ways schools reinforce identity-based bullying and perpetuate social inequality. A social justice perspective regarding identity-based bullying calls for exploring the deeper and systemic causes of identity-based bullying rather than viewing it as a product of individual pathology or interpersonal conflict. This chapter focuses on feminist scholarship to conceptualize the etiology of injustice and to inform the understanding of identity-based bullying as a product of an unjust society. Individuals may be able to change their position in the system during their lifetime. Within the U.S., the possibility of upward mobility is commonly held as a core value. Identity-based bullying in schools is one way that inequality is created and reinforced. Students recreate power plays they witness taking place between adults, internalize stereotypes about various aspects of identities, and discriminate against others through identity-based bullying.
