Together and apart: interethnic peer interaction in integrated schools

Abstract

Policies of school integration aim to improve intergroup relations between different ethnic, racial and religious groups through social mixing in educational institutions. Although there are high expectations for the benefits of such policies, it is far from certain that the social mix leads to positive intergroup relations or even intergroup interaction. This paper investigates the extent and nature of interethnic interaction in integrated schools in Aarhus, Denmark, based on extensive fieldwork in two school classes (children aged 5–8) over a period of 14 months. The results are presented in part as an analysis of peer groups and interethnic interaction frequencies in different school settings and in part as a comparative analysis of interethnic and intra-ethnic reprimanding and collaboration. The paper demonstrates that interethnic interactions are frequent across all school settings. However, the children’s peer groups are exclusive with regard to ethnicity and the interethnic interactions reflect a tacit but general inequality in the roles played by ethnic minority and majority children. Implications for school integration policies are discussed.