Debating the Practice of Separate Plurilingual Programs in Norwegian Schools From a Spatial Perspective

Abstract

Applying Edward W. Soja's work on spatial justice as an analytical lens, this chapter discusses the use of separate introductory programs for newly arrived migrant students in Norway. Although the use of separate programs for newcomers has been criticized for counteracting the aims of inclusion, this chapter suggests that from a spatial perspective, separation in itself is not necessarily a sign of exclusion; rather, it is what happens in an introductory program and how the actual space affects practices that matter. Furthermore, a sensitivity toward place and space can help educators pay attention to newly arrived students' backgrounds and needs without separation from their mainstream peers becoming a perceived barrier to inclusion. Acknowledging Soja's idea that social processes and discursive practices also influence place and space, a spatial perspective warns against letting ideological (and sometimes superficial) ideas about inclusion shape and govern practices.