‘Refugees here and Finns there’ – categorisations of race, nationality, and gender in a Finnish classroom

Abstract

Schools represent a central meeting place where societal inequalities are reproduced and questions of social justice become important. This study focuses on categorisations related to race, nationality, and gender in interactions in Finnish teaching environments, as well as teacher reflections on these situations. We discuss the implications of the categorisations on social justice and the role of the teacher in these situations. We conducted video observations of a sixth-grade teacher in a Finnish primary school. The study employs both critical multicultural education approaches and Conversation Analysis. Results show that the pupils use categories race, nationality, and gender in ways that limit the agency and positioning of some of the pupils. The extensive and intersecting categorisation in teaching situations makes it demanding for teachers to address and challenge unequal norms attached to the categories. Results also indicate that teachers need an understanding of othering and normativity in order to allow spontaneous critical discussion and problematising categorisations that pupils use. Also, the results highlight the importance of involving pupils in the process of questioning norms that do not provide all pupils with the same agency or sense of belonging.

Allies, access and (collective) action: Young refugee women’s navigation of gendered educational constraints in Greece

“…She said that in the beginning, 'they was looking … They think that we don't go to school'. Other research has also described how peers at school can limit refugees' agency and positioning by categorising them according to their race, nationality and gender (Hummelstedt et al, 2021). For Hala, this had reduced her sense of belonging and desire to participate, and put her at risk of dropping out.…”

Classroom Management Experiences of Preschool Teachers with Refugee Students

“…Research shows that students use race, nationality and gender categories in ways that limit the actions and positions of some students. Teachers are therefore expected to address these unequal categorical norms and work towards overcoming them (Hummelstedt et al, 2021). Instead of trying to solve all problems at once with a classroom management strategy, teachers should prioritize problems and apply more realistic classroom management strategies.…”

Emitted and omitted discourses on diversity – time to admit privilege, race and power?

“…Ten years later, Harlap and Riese (2014) argued that both race and ethnicity are taboo categories due to the strong connotations of eugenics and biology. However, substantial research claims that race and ethnicity are manifested through other utterances, still establishing these categories presence (Bhabha, 2012;Bonilla-Silva, 2015;Goldberg, 1993b;Harlap & Riese, 2014;Hummelstedt et al, 2021;Said, 2003). Bonilla-Silva (2015) points out that 'race' works without having a discursive space.…”