Young children's social class identities in everyday life at primary school: The importance of naming and challenging complex inequalities

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Abstract

This article explores young children’s social class identities in the context of a Scottish primary school, highlighting the ambivalent institutional discourses around ‘diversity’ and social class in the school context. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with 5-7 year-olds, it shows the emotional and embodied aspects through which social class differences are performed in the children’s intra- and intergenerational interactions, and the implications for the children’s relationships and experiences in school. The study shows that practitioners need to name and address social class differences, in intersection with gender, race and ethnicity, and involve young children themselves in discussions about identities and inequalities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)381-395
Number of pages15
JournalChildhood: A journal of global child research
Volume24
Issue number3
Early online date3 Jan 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2017

Keywords

  • young children’s social class identities, children’s relationships
  • inequality
  • emotions
  • 'diversity’ discourses
  • primary schools

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