Social justice leadership and The Art of War

The social justice leadership research recognizes the pivotal role that educational leaders play in mobilizing the discourse and achieving social justice in schools. However, current social justice leadership studies may be seen as limited in that the variety of important themes and issues identified in the discussions of social justice within educational leadership are generally addressed in an isolated manner, focusing on specific aspects. There seems to be a lack of an overarching framework which may be used to examine social justice leadership in a holistic and multidimensional manner by taking into account leadership, organizational conditions and environment. This article aims to examine social justice leadership through the lens of the 'Five Fundamentals' outlined in The Art of War by the Chinese General, Sun Tzu. In doing so, the article extends the theoretical boundary in social justice leadership by considering its moral purpose, human and environmental conditions, leadership practices, and technical constraints.