Career guidance practitioners’ understandings of social justice in four European Countries

This study explores career guidance practitioners’ understandings of social justice in Poland, Portugal, Denmark and Finland using Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. Interviews and focus groups revealed traces of various theoretical discourses on social justice, including redistributive, recognition-based, justice as fairness, libertarian and utilitarian perspectives in all four countries. Findings show diverse understandings of social justice among practitioners, ranging from concerns about social stratification to individualistic, meritocratic views. Social justice emerges as a “floating signifier” in career guidance, with context-dependent meanings. A strong presence of individualisation and responsibilisation discourses reflects neoliberal influences. The study highlights the complexity of social justice conceptualisations in career guidance practice and emphasises the need for critical reflection on social justice in education and professional development programmes for guidance practitioners.