Reframing inclusion. Analysis of the promises and limitations of Rancière’s work for inclusive education

Abstract In inclusion as traditionally understood, those on the inside seek to include those on the outside. Reversing this understanding, the French philosopher Jacques Rancière argues for a notion of inclusion that works from the outside in, with those on the outside including themselves. These ideas stem from Rancière’s central thesis that everybody has an equal capacity to speak and to express their requests. In this article, I develop a concept of inclusive education based on Rancière’s notions of ‘equality’, ‘distribution of the sensible’, and ‘politics’, and analyse whether it justifies a reframing of inclusion or ultimately falls short. After briefly defining inclusive education, I present the key concepts from Rancière’s work necessary to explore a Rancièrean notion of inclusion. I then discuss the promises and, above all, the limitations of adapting Rancière’s political thought to the field of inclusive education. The principal limitation is that, in education, we cannot ignore that some people lack the capacity to express their requests independently. To address this, I turn to the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy’s account of equality as the infinite potential of meaning inherent in all expressions. I conclude that, in the absence of Rancièrean moments of inclusion—which are, by definition, occasional—inclusive education in the traditional sense is to be expected. This is because, in my view, there is nothing wrong with attempts by those on the inside to improve the living conditions of those on the outside.