What makes a school a fair territory? School climate and spatial (in)justice in secondary schools of Córdoba (Argentina)

Abstract

In the aftermath of the pandemic, difficulties in regulating coexistence within school communities have intensified, underscoring the need to promote emotional well-being through the development of learning contexts grounded in care and inclusion. Despite this contextual emphasis, the spatial dimension has not occupied a central place in the planning of school-based interventions. In this article, we explore the spatial dimension of school coexistence and its relationship with the emotions involved in students’ perceptions of inter and intra generational relations, considered as key dimensions of school climate. To this end, we conducted a series of qualitative cartographic workshops with secondary school students from three establishments, which resulted in a set of 20 group cartographies and micro-interviews. Our findings support the need to further develop theoretical frameworks capable of integrating spatiality into conceptualizations of school climate. Empirically, we show that both intra- and intergenerational relationships within schools are strongly shaped by spatial configurations. Trust-based relationships, students’ sense of belonging to a particular school, as well as experiences of spatial injustice and emotions associated with fear or confrontation are closely linked to how school buildings are designed, organized, and used. We conclude by highlighting the importance of cartographic tools not only as research instruments but also as resources that school communities themselves can employ to reflect on the often veiled dimensions of everyday spatial practices and to produce their own diagnoses of school climate, thereby informing interventions aimed at making schools more equitable and fair spaces.