Abstract
The present paper focuses on the stances and repertoires of 30 Greek-Cypriot students with whom semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out about their feelings and perceptions of migrants and migrant children in Cyprus. As it is shown, stances are not the only key factor in the creation and reproduction of racial and ethnic categories; repertoires are also entangled with stances and can be broadly differentiated, highlighting the complex ways in which children and adolescents portray migrants and contribute to formulating the context of migrants’ reception in society. In addition, the diverse experiences of direct or no contact with migrants are entangled with perceptions of migrants as a whole and contribute to the reproduction of certain behavioural stances. Based on the analysis of students’ stances and repertoires, we discuss educational policies and practices that facilitate a better integration of migrant children in schools.
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Notes
Pity and indifference are grouped together, because they constitute the main expression of ‘ambivalent’ students. Almost all ambivalent students express both pity and indifference at some point in their talk about migrants and migrant children.
However, it is remarkable to note that none of the students who took part in the study, including those with negative stances, had anything negative to say about their female domestic worker. Perhaps, the daily contact and interdependence that is formed between them encourages a positive stance and prevents feelings of dislike or hatred. Regardless of their overall stance, students who have female domestic workers at home generally say that they know them well (apart from a few exceptions) and feel comfortable with them.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge that the present research study was coordinated by CARDET (www.cardet.org) which was awarded a Solidarity Funds grant by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus. The views expressed here are solely those of the authors.
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Zembylas, M., Lesta, S. Greek-Cypriot Students’ Stances and Repertoires Towards Migrants and Migrant Students in the Republic of Cyprus. Int. Migration & Integration 12, 475–494 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-011-0188-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-011-0188-2