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07 SES 13 B: Creating Inclusive School Communities: Anti-Racism, Safety and Belonging
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07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Paper Anti-Racism in Catalan Schools: An Ethnographic Study of Staff Practices and Perspectives Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain Presenting Author:In Europe, anti-racism represents a newly adopted discourse in social justice laws and programs seeking to interrupt hate speech and center racial equity (Bianchi; Müller, 2021). Bonnet (2000) articulates anti-racism as forms of thought and/or practice that work to confront and actively resist structural racism (p. 3). Recently, several legal protections have been institutionalized to counter the rise of hate crimes, such as the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2025; nonetheless, these political advances have been limited to addressing violences pertaining to gender and sexuality, and not intersections of race and ethnicity (Debusscher & Maes, 2025).
The academic literature grappling with anti-racism in European educational contexts has been undertheorized (Lentin, 2025). This raises questions about the efficacy of its adoption (Bianchi, 2020). Issues of teacher and administrative buy-in remain vital in the progress of anti-racist agendas (Chávez-Moreno, 2023; Perry, 2002). Through ethnographic methods, this qualitative study examines institutional conceptualizations of anti-racism from teacher and administrative perspectives in the context of Catalan public schools. In Spain, albeit democratic gains after the 40-year Francoist dictatorship, pervasive racist discourses that uphold whiteness are reminiscent of the country’s fascist and colonial past (Bela-Lobedde, 2023; Lentin, 2025). McIntosh (2019) describes whiteness as “an invisible package of unearned assets that [one] can count on cashing in each day…an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, and tools” (p. 28). White privilege, a product of white supremacy, allows for the inequitable distribution of resources and access to power (Chávez-Moreno, 2023; Harris, 1993; Perry, 2002). Critical Race Scholars have first sought to illuminate the ways unfair advantage is abetted and maintained through the construction of whiteness in the United States schools (Ladson-Billings, 2000; Parker & Gillborn, 2020). European schools are not neutral spaces either, “being designed to institutionalise Eurocentric norms and in the process ostracize minoritized ethnic perspectives” (Riley et al., 2025, p. 1). Anti-racism, as an educational praxis, counters such assimilationist logics and challenges the unjust distribution of resources sanctioned through institutionalized forms of racism (Bianchi, 2020; Bonilla-Silva, 2013; Lentin, 2025). The inclusion of counternarratives has been documented as an effective anti-racist pedagogy aimed at interrupting racist ideologies and addressing uneven power dynamics among educational stakeholders (Chávez-Moreno, 2023; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017).
A central goal of anti-racist education is to reimagine school as a site to challenge dominant ideology and academic reasoning (Bela-Lobedded, 2023; Lentin, 2025). Ladson-Billings (2000) argues that “there are well-developed systems of knowledge, or epistemologies, that stand in contrast to the dominant Euro-American epistemology” (p. 258). Identifying and challenging oppressive Eurocentric perspectives remains at the core of an anti-racism praxis, which is able to illuminate and bring to question current and historical power relations. It is important to note that the inclusion of non-western epistemologies is not simply a measure to diversify scholarship and praxis, but “to challenge the hegemonic structures (and symbols) that keep injustice and inequity in place” (Ladson-Billings, 2000, p. 271). Anti-racism therefore consists of a radical re-imagining of our world, grounded in the counternarratives and epistemologies of those in positions of alterity (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002). In this anti-racist stand, it is important that educators are consistent and coherent in instructional programs and curricula (Lentin, 2025). Newmann et. al (2001) maintain that instructional program coherence is more likely to advance student achievement more than multiple unrelated programs (p. 297). The practice of coherence in anti-racist practices stimulates student engagement and knowledge when school staff work collaboratively with local communities (Chávez-Moreno, 2023; Jones, 2025). Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The methodology of this qualitative study is that of ethnography based on interview and observation data. Individual interviews and observations of secondary school teachers and administrators in Barcelona, Catalunya, were conducted for a period of an academic year, from September 2023 to June 2024. Barcelona is a highly multicultural city with foreign national residents comprising 27% of the population. The racialized communities originally come from Latin American countries (Perú, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, among others), Morocco, Pakistan and China (Statistical Institute of Catalonia, 2025). Catalan and Spanish are official languages in the region, and students are required to study both languages at school (Castell Orell, 2024). However, issues of representation are widespread, since the majority of school staff in Catalan schools remains predominantly white, female and of Spanish/Catalan origin (Hugues Canalís, 2020). The main participants of this study included 20 teachers, 6 principals, and 12 psychopedagogues working in Catalan public schools. Most of the participants are white women, with the exception of 5 male teachers, and 6 female teachers with double nationality (1 Moroccan, 1 Brasilian, 1 Chinese, 3 Latinx) and 2 queer Latinx psychopedagogues (1 Ecuadoran, 1 Argentinean). The teachers worked in biology, (foreign) languages, history, and music disciplines. A total of 18 different observations lasting approximately for 1 hour took place during the academic year. Observations focused on professional development sessions for school staff (8) and classroom settings with the high school students (10). Informal interviews with high school students took place during the observations, as the main researcher was an active participant in the classroom. Individual 45-minute semi-structured interviews with teachers occurred during and after professional development meetings. The interviews with the principals took place at the end of the academic year in June 2024. The interviews and observations focused on analyzing the schools’ implementation of an anti-racist instructional focus and the professional development surrounding it. Pseudonyms were used in the study to protect schools and participants’ confidentiality. Data were analyzed following central tenets of critical race theory in the context of anti-racist education (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017). These elements included: racial literacy, counternarratives, intersectionality, and political alliances. This research was led by a racialized Spanish scholar who lived for 20 years in the U.S. as an immigrant woman. Being also European, it is vital to acknowledge and interrupt biased understandings of race and racism, and join local efforts for the advancement of racial justice in Catalunya. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings In conceptualizing anti-racism, the principals tended to overlook the historical processes of race and white property. When discussing her conception of anti-racism, a principal referred to the schools’ Quality School Plan, describing: “the transition from symbolic diversity to an anti-racist, multicultural institution by providing students with the opportunity to engage in analytical reasoning through culturally proficient curriculum and instruction that fosters rigor and depth”. In addition, 4 principals expressed a concern about pervasive racial biases among school staff that worked as a hidden curriculum (Chávez-Moreno, 2023). Susana, a Moroccan psychopedagogue, explained the urgency to bring “unconscious biases to a conscious level.” Catalan students showed an open attitude to engage in challenging conversations around race and racism. In an observation (May, 2024), a female Catalan history teacher asked the students to watch documentaries on hate crimes. The students presented these video materials, challenging racial ideologies. Reflecting on their (un)learnings, one high school student expressed: “it was like I became a better person.” Another student acknowledged: “I was so ashamed of myself for thinking Moroccans are all the same, it is just like thinking Catalans we are all the same.” Marcos, a biology teacher, relied on counternarratives to unpack the topic of Covid-19, noting how “it is about having them (students) think more complexly, and helping them (students) recognize and appreciate each other’s humanity.” Sonia described the use of counternarratives as “planting a seed [...] helping them (students) to question injustices in our daily lives,” but also underlined the need for accountability, regretting how “it is always hard for people in power to take responsibility.” Lyn, a queer Latinx pedagogue, described their work for the inclusion of recently migrated youth, and underlined the importance of fostering reciprocity among all learners, “rethinking how they see themselves as citizens.” References Bela-Lobedded, D. (2023). Ponte a punto para el antirracismo. SomosB. Bianchi, C. (2020). Hate speech: il lato oscuro del linguaggio. Giuffrè Editore. Bonnett, A. (2000). Anti-racism. New York, New York: Routledge. Chávez-Moreno, L. (2023). Racist and racistlinguistic teacher ideologies. The Urban Review, 54(4), 554-575. Debusscher, P., & Maes, E. L. (2025). The European Union intersectionality framework: Unpacking intersectionality in the ‘union of equality” agenda. Political Studies Review, 23(1), 276-296. Dei, G. J., & Mcdermott, M. (2014). Politics of anti-racism education: In search of strategies for transformative learning. Dordrecht: Springer. Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2012) Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. NY University Press. Gillborn, D. (1995). Racism and anti-racism in real schools. Open University Press. Harris, C. I. (1993). Whiteness as property. Harvard Law Review, 106 (8), 1707-1791. Jones, M. (2025). Prospects and challenges of antiracist pedagogy in Finnish secondary schools. Human Rights Education Review, 8(1), 107-120. Ladson-Billings, G. (2000). Racialized Discourses and Ethnic Epistemologies. In Handbook of Qualitative Research. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications. Laubenthal, B. (2023). Assimilation, Integration or Transnationalism? An Overview of Theories of Migrant Incorporation. International Migration, 61(1), 84-91. Lentin, A. (2025). Racism and anti-racism in Europe. Pluto Press. McIntosh, P. (2019). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies. In M. McGoldrick & K. V. Hardy (Eds.), Re-visioning family therapy: Addressing diversity in clinical practice(3rd ed., pp. 215–225). The Guilford Press. Müller, C. (2021). Anti-Racism in Europe: An intersectional approach to the discourse on empowerment through the EU Anti-racism action plan 2020-2025. Social Sciences, 10(4), 1-18. Newmann, F. M., Smith, B., Allensworth, E., & Bryk, A. S. (2001). Instructional program coherence: What it is and why it should guide school improvement policy. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23(4), 297-321. Perry, P. (2002). Shades of white: White kids and racial identities in high school. Duke University Press. Solórzano, D. G., and Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for Education Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8 (1), 23-44. Starkey, H. (2021). Classroom counternarratives as transformative multicultural citizenship education. Multicultural Education Review, 13(3), 229-244. 07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Paper Students Creating Safety in the Everyday of School Oulun yliopisto, kasvatustieteiden ja psykologian tiedekunta, Finland Presenting Author:Violence among young people is usually discussed only as bullying, and the hurtful intentions and hostile relations between the bully and the victim are taken as granted (Väisänen & Lanas 2022a, 2023). This view overlooks violence taking place in close peer relationships and the mechanisms normalizing it. These mechanisms are informed by exclusionary social norms and inequalities related to appearance, style, hobbies, wealth, linguistic talent, sexual orientation, skin colour, religion, place of residence and gender representation (e.g. Boyle & Berridge, 2012; Duncan, 2013; Horton, 2011; Juva, 2022). The paper at hand reports one part of a larger research project in which we produced knowledge about the mechanisms that normalise friendship violence among young people. Joining contemporary childhood studies that increasingly challenge adult‑centred framings children’s active participation in constructing their social worlds, we showcase how young people create safety in the everyday life of school in the midst of mechanisms normalizing violence. Violence in school is commonly discussed in terms of bullying, and young people are commonly viewed as the perpetrators, victims or as bystanders in bullying situations in school. Their actions for preventing bullying or violence in school tend to be seen simply in terms of how obediently they obey adult-driven models. In this research we see students neither as helpless or harmful objects of adult interventions. We see them as active participants, purposefully creating safety in the everyday life of school. We define violence as anything done to hurt or upset another person, including structural, systemic and symbolic violence. These forms of violence refer to violence and inequality produced by societal power struggles for example through everyday school practices (Holmes, 2013), where it is not recognised as violence but remains invisible (Herr & Anderson, 2003). The effect of systemic violence stems from it not being identified as violence, but as "just the way things are" (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992, 204). Violence or safety from it cannot be understood without addressing broader social conditions and phenomena such as racism, heteronormativity, gender discrimination, economic inequality, or social norms. These have been obscured in majority of bullying research (Väisänen & Lanas 2022b, 2023; Walton 2011). Such research repeatedly decontextualises and individualizes violence focusing on standardized models ad solutions (Väisänen & Lanas 2022, 2023), paints a negative picture of the children it is supposed to help (Väisänen & Lanas 2020), and overly focuses on punishments (Väisänen & Lanas 2025). The mechanisms normalizing violence are particularly salient in school because attending education is obligatory for every young person, and it is a key place for peer contacts (Kiilakoski & Lanas, 2022); it creates ideas about friendship and violence by teaching social skills (Finnish National Agency for Education 2014, 156); and due to its societal selection function (Simola, 2015) everyday school life also produces multiple exclusionary micro-level practices and creates otherness and hidden exclusions in peer groups (Watson, 2019). In this paper we have asked how students navigate these mechanisms and create safety in the everyday life of school. The question emerges from our ethnographic fieldwork. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This paper reports one part of a larger study we have observed everyday practices and lives in three schools from grades 4 to 6, for 3 months, three days a week (a total of 96 days of observation in the schools). Using ethnographic methods, three researchers observed mundane practices, followed chains of events, mapped histories and the multi-sited events that emerged in the everyday school life. Researchers took part in activities in lessons, breaks, halls and lunchroom. The three ethnographic researchers kept a diary of their observations. Each week during the ethnography the five project researchers met to analyse the events and jointly directed the researchers’ gaze. The ethnographic analysis has run in parallel with the ethnography. As planned, the diaries included a lot of observations of the difficulties and challenges of peer relations in school. However, after the first month, we noted each researcher’s observations included multiple descriptions of situations in which the children themselves brought the mechanisms of violence in to question by small actions, creating safety in multiple small, mundane, unnoticed ways. We decided to direct the ethnographic gaze also to these. It was like making the invisible visible: while the field was filled with challenges and difficulties, it was also filled with diplomacy, kind words, care, negotiation, support, closeness, commitment, breaking or following norms, working together. For this paper, we have taken out every extract from the diaries in which the students produced safety for themselves or others, all together 15pages, and carried out a simple thematic analysis to the extracts. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Our analysis shows that students produced safety in school by questioning the mechanisms that normalisd violence, life in multiple different ways. Results are preliminary, since the ethnography is just coming to an end. These preliminary results suggest that students: 1) are aware and question oppressive norms, making each other feel safe when there are aspects of systemic violence in their surroundings 2) create practices of tenderness and care. Who is in the position to create these practices in impactful ways is a question of power and status. These are also at times directed at some children more than others, making safety a commodity. 3) create safety for themselves, at times at the expense of others, for example by trying to help their own fear of exclusion These commonly took place without adult support and unrecognized by adults. References Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Polity Press. Boyle, K., & Berridge, S. (2012). I love you, man: Gendered narratives of friendship in contemporary Hollywood comedies. Feminist Media Studies, 14(3), 353–368. Duncan, N. (2013). Using disability models to rethink bullying in schools. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 8(3), 254–262. Finnish National Agency for Education. (2014). National core curriculum for basic education 2014. Opetushallitus. Herr, K., & Anderson, G. (2003). Violent youth or violent schools? A critical incident analysis of symbolic violence. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 6(4), 415–433. Holmes, S. M. (2013). Fresh fruit, broken bodies: Migrant farmworkers in the United States. University of California Press. Horton, P. (2011). School bullying and social and moral orders. Children & Society, 25(4), 268–277. Juva, I. (2022). Constructing and confronting bullying and normality at Finnish comprehensive schools from the perspective of critical bullying studies. Research Papers in Education, 37(4), 584–598. Lanas, M., & Kiilakoski, T. (2022). Kahden kehän koulu. In M. Lanas & T. Kiilakoski (Eds.), Häiriö? – Näkökulmia työrauhan säröihin koulussa (pp. 151–174). Vastapaino. Schott, R. M., & Søndergaard, D. M. (2021). The social turn in bullying research: Sociocultural/sociological perspectives. In P. K. Smith & J. O’Higgins Norman (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of bullying: A comprehensive and international review of research and intervention (Vol. 2, pp. 783–798). Wiley. Simola, H. (2015). Koulutusihmeen paradoksit: Esseitä suomalaisesta koulutuspolitiikasta. Vastapaino. Väisänen, A.-M., & Lanas, M. (2022). Kuinka kiusaamistilanteissa olevista lapsista puhutaan? In M. Lanas & T. Kiilakoski (Eds.), Häiriö? – Näkökulmia työrauhan säröihin koulussa (pp. 31–56). Vastapaino. Väisänen, A.-M., & Lanas, M. (2022). Dekontekstualisaatio kiusaamiskirjallisuudessa. Kasvatus, 52(4), 438–449. Väisänen, A., & Lanas, M. (2023). Nuoret yksilöllistävän koulukiusaamispuheen kohteena kiusaamista koskevissa asiakirjoissa. Nuorisotutkimus, 41(2), 3–19. Walton, G. (2011). Spinning our wheels: Reconceptualizing bullying beyond behaviour focused approaches. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(1), 131–144. Watson, K. (2019). ‘We are all friends’: Disrupting friendship play discourses in inclusive early childhood education. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20(3), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949118772575 07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Paper A Multi-level Perspective on the Inclusion of Migrant Students in Croatia UNICEF, Croatia Presenting Author:Until 2020, Croatia has been a culturally and linguistically homogenous society that underwent post-socijalist transition and became a high-income and EU country. In the last five years, Croatia has seen an almost exponential growth of foreign and migrant workers and persons seeking international protection, who are all culturally and linguistically different from the domestic language and culture. The objective of the paper is to capture how a previously culturally and linguistically homogenous schooling system meets the challenge of cultural and linguistic diversification. It adds to literature on the integration of migrant students and brings the perspective of a country that has just started becoming culturally diverse. This paper analyses how Croatian primary and secondary schools adjusted to the integration of culturally and linguistically diverse students. The paper uses a child rights and social justice lens to answer the following research questions: - How do schools in Croatia implement the principles of intercultural, inclusive, and socially just education in everyday teaching practice? - Which institutional characteristics (organisational, personnel, resource, value) hinder and which facilitate the development of schools as interculturally sensitive and socially just environments? - What systematic recommendations can be formulated to strengthen the capacity of the Croatian education system to ensure intercultural, inclusive, and socially just education, especially in the context of including students with a migrant background? The theoretical framework leans on child-rights and social justice approaches, in line with UNICEF's mandate. For the specific understanding of multicultural processes in education, Banks’ (Banks, 2002; Banks et al., 2014) model of multicultural education was used. This comprehensive framework, identifies five interrelated dimensions and explains the shift from a paradigm of cultural deprivation to one of cultural diversity, essential for ensuring quality education for culturally and ethnically diverse students: content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equitable pedagogy, and an empowering school culture and social structure. Banks’ model of multicultural education wasan appropriate starting point for considering the inclusion of students of migrant origin in the educational process, precisely because of its multidimensionality, which highlights that the complex process of educational inclusion cannot be reduced to a folkloric approach – namely, the mere inclusion of superficial information about students’ cultures and identities in teaching. Instead, it emphasises the necessity of a systematic approach, supported by the engagement of not only the school community but also actors at the macro level of the system, to create an environment in which students feel accepted, respected, and supported (Bartulović, 2025). The paper draws on a critical professional development perspective, which positions teachers as reflective practitioners and agents of social change (i.e. Frost et al 2026). Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This paper is a result of the triangulation of three interconnected data sources, providing an in-depth, multidimensional understanding of inclusive and intercultural education in the Croatian context. The first source is a national mixed-methods study involving educators, students, and parents in early years, preschool, primary, and secondary education. Data were collected through a combination of online questionnaires, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of relevant documents, enabling comparison of quantitative patterns and qualitative insights. An online questionnaire was created for quantitative data collection and distributed via the LimeSurvey platform. The questionnaire used in this study was designed to identify the professional development needs of pedagogicstaff working with children with a migrant background. The instrument was structured within the methodological framework of the Delphi method, allowing for a systematic and iterative approach to gathering expert input from professionals in the field of education. 81 participants working in the field of ECEC or primary education and 80 participants from lower secondary and upper secondary levels of education completed the online questionnaire. A total of 67 educational professionals, 36 parents of children with a migrant background, and 23 students with a migrant background took part in the focus groups. The focus groups were conducted according toa previously defined protocol, and the results were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2020; Braun & Clarke, 2006). The second source of data consist of a review of 107 international and national documents, observation and both unstrucutred and structured stakeholder consultations. The third data source is participatory action research conducted in five Croatian schools. This process included guided self-assessment of institutional capacities, co-creation of school-level Action Plans for inclusion, implementation of targeted professional training, mentoring activities, monitoring and evaluation of changes in school practices. Together, these three complementary sources enable a holistic, multilevel analysis and provide a robust empirical foundation for understanding and improving intercultural and inclusive education in Croatia. Before starting, the research received approval from the Ethics Committee for Scientific Research at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Croatia, being a relative newcomer to inclusion of cultural and linguistic diversity, still has a way to go to in setting up systems for including migrant students. There is opportunity, as teachers generally motivated to meet the needs of children with a migrant background, but that they feel isolated and insecure on whether they are really supporting the integration of those students. The data reveal numerous underlying systemic shortcomings, such as the lack of standards on intercultural education, the lack of intercultural education in teacher training and professional development, the scarcity of teachers with skills to teach Croatia as an additional language, and the lack of data on migrant students that would ease planning and support. The study reveals that inclusive and socially just education for migrant and linguistically diverse learners is not achieved through isolated initiatives, but through coherent, relational and systemically supported practices. The findings demonstrate that inclusion improves when schools are supported to plan, reflect and collaborate within a coherent policy and professional learning framework. The paper proposes a multi-level capacity-building model that connects policy alignment, professional development and school-based action. It contributes empirical evidence from a Central and Eastern European context and offers transferable insights for strengthening inclusive education across Europe. References European Commission. (2020, November 24). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Action plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027 (COM/2020/758 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0758 European Commission. (2021, March 24). EU strategy on the rights of the child (COM/2021/142 final). Publications Office of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0142 Cooc, N. & Kim, G. M. (2023). School inclusion of refugee students: Recent trends from international data. Educational Researcher, 52(4), 206-218. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221149396 Banks, J. A. (2002). An Introduction to Multicultural Education. Allyn and Bacon. Banks, J. A. & Banks, C. A. M. (Ed.). (2016). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Ninth Edition. John Wiley i Sons. Bartulović, M. (in press). Experiences, challenges and needs of primary and secondary school teachers in working with students of migrant origin. In D. Bouillet & A. Širanović (Eds.), Children of migrant origin in the Croatian educational system: status and perspectives (pp. 68–97). FF Press, University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Braun, V.&i Clarke, V. (2020). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238 Frost, D., Durrant, J., Hill, V., Holden, G., Roberts, A. (2026) Teachers and the Prctice of Leadership: Enabling Change for Transformation and Social Justice. Oxon: Routledge. | ||