Multicultural Urban Schools in Sweden and Their Communities: Social Predicaments, the Power of Stigma, and Relational Dilemmas

Abstract

Multicultural urban schools in Sweden are facing two major challenges. First, the communities the schools serve are stigmatized and economically impoverished, leading to growing concerns regarding the quality of education, lack of credibility, and outflow of students. The second challenge is the ambivalent relationships with students' parents (presumable consumers and partners, but who are also regarded as culturally conservative) and with the broader community, such as public authorities and universities. I argue that we cannot understand the practical operations and outcomes of multicultural schools if we look only at the curriculum, individual attitudes, or educational policy changes and do not examine the broader challenges facing these institutions. What is needed is a more relational approach linking together the interests of different groups, policy changes, modes of representation, and the educators' practices.

Experiences of Finnish teachers working with immigrant students

“…Arbaci and Malheiros 2010;Beckhusen et al 2013). For example, in Sweden, a Scandinavian country with a longer history of immigration, similar problems have long been encountered (Bunar 2010(Bunar , 2011.…”

Lo que hacen las mejores escuelas integradoras de alumnado inmigrante: un modelo para su análisis y prospectiva.

“…Seguidamente se realiza un análisis de contenido de los diferentes elementos de atención educativa al alumnado inmigrante que, en base a diferentes autores/as e instituciones de referencia a nivel nacional e internacional, son valorados como imprescindibles para una integración educativa efectiva de alumnado inmigrante en diversos sistemas educativos (Aguado & Gil, 2003;Alegre, 2008;Alegre & Benito Pérez, 2010;Benito Pérez & González-Balletbò, 2013;Banks, 2015;Bunar, 2011;Calero, Choi & Waisgrais, 2010;Carrasco, 2005;CIDE, 2005; Commission of the European Communities, 2008;EURYDICE, 2009;Fernández Enguita, 2006;Field, Kuczera & Pont, 2007;Fundación CeiMigra, 2012;García Castaño & Granados, 1999;Garreta & Llevot, 2011;Heckmann, 2008;Huddleston, Niessen, Ni Chaoimh & White, 2011;Llevot & Bernad, 2015;Ni Chaoimh & White, 2011;Mancebón & Pé-rez-Ximénez de Embún, 2007;Marchesi, 2003Marchesi, , 2006Martínez Lizarrondo, 2011;Martínez Usarralde & García López, 2007;Mena, Fernández Enguita & Riviére, 2010;OCDE, 2007OCDE, , 2010Palaudàrias & Garreta, 2011;Pérez-Esparrells & Rahona, 2009, 2012Rahona & Morales, 2007, 2013Sales & García López, 1997;Sánchez-Hugalde, 2007;Serra & Palaudàrias, 2010;Simó;…”

School choice research in five European countries: the circulation of Stephen Ball's concepts and interpretations

“…After Seppänen's pioneering work, Seppänen, Rinne, and Sairanen (2012), Poikolainen (2012), Kosunen (2012a) and Koivuhovi (2012) also developed similar perspectives. Bunar (2008Bunar ( , 2009Bunar ( , 2010Bunar ( , 2011 introduced Ball's work to Sweden, focusing mainly on the study of choice as an active process of social reproduction for middle-class parents in urban multicultural contexts. Kallstenius (2007) also drew on Ball's work to point out that freedom of choice has contributed to the changing nature of social segregation in Swedish cities.…”