Contested integration: hegemony projects in the field of education in Austria

Through the eyes of a child: the meaning and negotiation of integration from the perspective of pupils in Vienna

“…Thus, views on integration can be influenced by the prevailing discourse, which in Austria can be described as a segregated, disciplinary and individualized understanding of integration. This discourse perceives integration mainly as cultural integration and assimilation, while social and economic integration are not considered (for hegemony projects in Austrian education, see Dursun et al, 2022). Cultural integration usually focuses on language skills and values of the majority society as the most important prerequisites for 'successful integration'.…”

“…Moreover, this approach highlights that integration is a two-way process, where majority society is also responsible for making the newcomers feel at home. It, therefore, aims at removing structural obstacles for the newcomers' integration in majority society (Dursun et al, 2022) We combine our two theoretical strands -the child-centered approach to integration and integration as a negotiation process of different meanings of integration from the perspective of pupils. We emphasize that a child-centered understanding of integration goes beyond asking children about integration, but understands children's voices as part of the negotiation of integration and meaning-making.…”