Being a teacher with a so-called 'immigrant background': challenges of dealing with social boundaries. Issue 2 (3rd March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mantel, Carola
• Is Part Of: Intercultural education. Volume 31:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 173
• Page End: 189
• Publication Date: 2020-03-03
• Subjects: Diverse teachers -- social boundary making -- immigrant background -- biography -- diversity education; Ethnic relations -- Periodicals; Social policy -- Periodicals; Pluralism (Social sciences) -- Periodicals; Minorities -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; 370.11705
• DOI: 10.1080/14675986.2019.1702291
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1467-5986

Abstract

ABSTRACT: There have been calls in many European countries to diversify the teaching staff as a response to increasing diversity within student populations. These calls are often based on underlying assumptions that teachers with a migration history are well placed to act as 'intercultural mediators' and 'role models' for successful integration. However, these assumptions often lack differentiation. The presented study addresses this lack of differentiation for the case of the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Based on social constructivist theory (Barth; Wimmer) and pursuing a qualitative-hermeneutical approach (Schütze; Rosenthal), the study shows four ideal types of dealing with social boundary dynamics among teachers who have been categorised or labelled in terms of a 'second immigrant generation'. Additionally, the study provides insight that (a) the category of 'labour migration' is experienced as a particularly significant category of boundary making and (b) that schools in urban-immigrant neighbourhoods – in contrast to those in rural-non-immigrant neighbourhoods – are experienced as places with an increased chance of recognition for a teacher 'with an immigrant background', although even there, these teachers find themselves in constant engagement to defend their belonging and to justify their sensitivity in dealing with migration-related diversity.