Negotiating meanings of gender justice: Critical reflections on dialogs and debates in a non-governmental organization (NGO)

•The paper reflects on the dialogic processes by which NGO actors negotiate meanings of gender justice.•Paper is based on DeJaeghere's reframing of Sen's conceptualization of public debate from critical feminist perspectives.•It looks at how NGO actors question own beliefs while working in a girls’ education program seeking equitable gender relations within schools.

In this paper, we reflect upon how dialogs and debates in a non-governmental organization (NGO) – CARE India in the context of a girls’ education project shaped staff members’ understandings of gender justice. As CARE India staff shared their experiences in the field, in the organization, and in domestic spaces during gender training sessions and other forums, their different politics in these spaces shaped how they translated global discourses of gender justice to produce fluid, contested, and contextual understandings. While these dialogs included the voices of diverse social actors in identifying the capabilities needed for gender justice in education, they were often reframed by local NGO actors.