Research Reconsiderations concerning Cultural Differences

Abstract

'Minority children' experience a lot of shifts in their cultural contexts. The author's work as a professional teacher in multicultural classes enabled her to focus on the research questions presented in this article. These questions concern the need for some minority children to achieve equal opportunities in the Norwegian educational system. The author uses her teaching practice and ethnographic notes to put forward two particular cases that illustrate the issues of her concern. Informant interviews with teachers in the same school inform the methodology. Positions outlined by Stephen May discussing degrees of essentialism in theory and practical work with children are used when discussing the cultural challenges involved in these cases. Following this, critical multiculturalism raises the question of cultural differences and of how to theorise and do research without creating culturally essentialising categories. This article alerts readers to the plight of children in shifting cultural contexts, to the challenges they are facing, and to the skills and competencies they are developing. It seeks to contribute to two current areas of debate, namely inclusive education and internationalisation.

Seeing Beyond: Perspectives of Black Children in English ECEC

“…However, an anti-bias approach does not always resolve the issues of essentialism, racism and discrimination. These approaches can appear just as homogenizing as multiculturalism as they do not always allow for individuality to be displayed and, although power relations are addressed, there may be a lack of focus on social relations (Becher, 2004). There have also been concerns that even though power relations are considered in anti-bias education they tend to take a dichotomous approach of perpetrators and victims which does not always consider the impacts of racism and intersectionality (Vandenbroeck, 2007).…”

Ressursorientert tilnærming til språklig og kulturelt mangfold

“…Men, samtidig oppstår et spenningsfelt der naturlig kan forstås ut fra at det norske settes som standard for forskjellighet. Det kan også virke som at den språklige betydningen av naturlig benyttes som motstand mot alle marginaliseringsfortellingene som er dokumentert på barnehagefeltet de siste 30 årene (Andersen, 2002(Andersen, , 2006Becher, 2004;Bleken, 1981;Otterstad, 2008a;Otterstad & Becher, 2000). Det finnes altså en rekke studier som i varierende grad viser til at ekskluderingsmekanismer fungerer som en sosial orden (Foucault, 1999), det vil si at strategier som taushet og overhøring benyttes for å utestenge noen fra fellesskapet.…”

“…Flere av fagbøkene er skrevet fram fra andre fagdisipliner i tillegg til barnehagepedagogikk (Alghasi, Fangen & Frønes, 2006;Andersen, 2002Andersen, , 2003Andersen, , 2006Angell, 2011;Becher, 2004Becher, , 2006Berg, Fladstad & Lauritsen, 2006;Fangen, 2008;Fuglerud & Eriksen, 2007;Gjervan m.fl., 2006;Gressgård, 2002;Gullestad, 2006;Lidén, 2005;Otterstad, 2008b;Pihl, 2005;Prieur, 2004, Rastas, 2009, der innholdet avspeiler subjektets historiefortellinger fra mangfoldige språklige og kulturelle perspektiver. Subjektet som agent og medaktør tydeliggjøres ved at forhandlinger om subjektive meningsposisjoner er fokus i tekstene.…”

Child Care and Multiculturalism: A Site of Governance Marked by Flexibility and Openness

“…Early childhood education scholars have also contributed to the critique of multiculturalism (e.g. Becher, 2004;Vandenbroeck, 2004;MacNaughton, 2005;Robinson & Diaz, 2006). These scholars, drawing on post-structural theories and more specifically on Foucauldian notions of power/knowledge, have argued that multicultural approaches in early childhood education are framed within essentialist and fixed views of culture, ignoring constitutive social relations of power.…”