Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

SULCIS Working Papers,
Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS

No 2008:3: Urban Schools in Sweden - Between Social Predicaments, the Power of Stigma and Relational Dilemmas

Nihad Bunar ()
Additional contact information
Nihad Bunar: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Postal: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: Multicultural urban schools in Sweden are facing two major challenges. First, the communities they serve are typically stigmatized and economically impoverished, leading to growing concerns regarding the quality of education, lack of credibility an outflow of students. The second challenge is the ambivalent relations with students’ parents (presumable consumers and partners, but who are also regarded as culturally conservative) and with a broader community, such as public authorities and universities. I argue that we cannot understand the practical operations and outcomes of multicultural schools if we only look at curriculum, individual attitudes or freedom of choice policy 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.

Keywords: Urban education; community; stigma; relations; multicultural

JEL-codes: I21

22 pages, July 8, 2008

Full text files

SULCISWP2008_3.pdf PDF-file 

Download statistics

Questions (including download problems) about the papers in this series should be directed to Eskil Wadensjö ()
Report other problems with accessing this service to Sune Karlsson ().

This page generated on 2024-02-05 17:13:44.