Discovering and Revealing Experiences of Belonging and Othering Amongst Ethnic Minority Children in a UK Primary School Setting

Liddy, Fiona Jane (2024) Discovering and Revealing Experiences of Belonging and Othering Amongst Ethnic Minority Children in a UK Primary School Setting. Doctoral thesis (EdD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This study investigates how ethnic minority children create a sense of belonging in the host community on their arrival in the UK, whilst struggling with stereotypes and cultural stigmas attached to their ethnicity. The study explores the lived experiences of two Romanian children and two children of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, revealing similar experiences of belonging and othering. Drawing on Roland Barthes, Stuart Hall and Benedict Anderson’s perspectives as a lens to conceptualise representation of the other, culture and myths, I explore how othering impacts on migrant children as they navigate their journey in a new environment and school. The study is based at a community school in Oldham, Northern England where there has been a sharp increase of Romanian families arriving in the area and changing the cultural dynamics over time. The local communities have become more accommodating of different ethnic groups, however, new families still experience being labelled with negative stereotypes and exclusion. With the aid of participatory and creative research methods, the children shared their experiences through artefacts to uncover strong connections and a sense of belonging within their families, culture and local community. It also allowed the children to recognise that they all shared many similarities and although they were from different ethnic groups, they shared the same rituals and processes. The main key outcomes from the study was the perception of the group and a limited understanding of each other’s cultures. The study shared stories of home and were a prominent feature throughout the study. The stories clearly demonstrated not only the link to extended family and the homeland, but how the idea of home is recreated in the UK, forming an imagined community.