Transformative spaces for gender equality: Transnational experience of China and Iceland

Abstract

Gender equality is essential for achieving educational equality and enhancing outcomes for all students. Adopting a transnational perspective on gender equality in China and Iceland allows us to reflect on lessons from diverse socio-cultural contexts that encounter similar challenges. By combining Fraser’s feminist theory with Vygotskian concepts of transformation, this article proposes a new conceptualisation of transformative spaces in education defined as: (a) dialectical processes of learning and unlearning aimed at expanding prior knowledge, (b) critical awareness and reflexivity, (c) multiple voices and perspectives within the classroom or a specific learning environment. Based on a theory-driven analysis, qualitative data from policy documents and eight interviews, plus participatory observations with teachers from Iceland and China, demonstrate that the theoretical framework of transformative spaces is valuable for analysing and achieving gender equality within and through education.