“One is neither accepted as true Swedish nor real Iranian”: Hybrid identities and history teaching in a Swedish school context

In educational and other contexts Sweden has been described as a multicultural society. The concepts of universalism and the politics of recognition have served as interpretive frameworks for the understanding of educational contexts. Based on poststructuralist perspectives this article problematizes the notion of multiculturalism and identities in school context. Discourses of education in general and teaching of history in particular are deconstructed on the basis of upper secondary school students’ views on ethnic identity issues in schools. The paper is based on interviews with 36 students from Malmo (Sweden).

Many students experience stigma, because surrounding community (including teachers) repeatedly links their identities to their parents' place of birth (i.e. outside of Sweden). They are constantly labelled as immigrants, even though they have lived in Sweden all their lives. Through racialized and essentialist interpellations their Swedish identities are misrecognised. The dichotomy "Swedes"/"immigrants" reinforces segregating tendencies in school environments. These processes are problematic because youth identities in contemporary Sweden are characterized by "hybridity".

 

Furthermore, many students state that the misrecognition of Swedish identity/the reiteration of “immigrantness” does not mean that regions and countries outside of so-called western European hemisphere, where many students’ parents were born, are given an attention that they allegedly deserve. Additionally, narratives about Sweden, European states and the United States are considered to be an important part of all students' cultural and collective identity and their general education. Many students declare that teaching of history is Eurocentric, that other regions and countries should be acknowledged and that students’ diverse interests and experiences should be recognised. The analysis illustrates that schools are failing in fulfilling these goals and that one should be aware how one interprets individuals’ identities and interests.