Ethnic labeling among pupils with migration backgrounds

Pomme van de Weerd

doi:10.1075/dujal.19033.van

Abstract

Abstract This paper analyzes ethnic self-labeling among pupils of a secondary school in Venlo, the Netherlands. Pupils with migration backgrounds, born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as ‘Moroccan’, ‘Turk’ or ‘foreigner’, and to others as ‘Dutch’. Ascription to these ethnic categories is often understood as an expression of national (un)belonging. Based on nine months of linguistic ethnographic fieldwork, I argue that ethnic labels functioned to manage everyday interpersonal social relations and did not necessarily express feelings of (un)belonging to the nation. Rather, pupils used ethnic labels to associate social personae with particular styles and behaviors and to construct local social hierarchies. The paper contributes to the investigation of ethnic labels as signs with locally contingent meanings, which nevertheless retain indexical links with wider discourses about social categories and belonging. It furthermore emphasizes the necessity of investigating the local meanings of ethnic categories.

Highlights

This paper analyzes the use of ethnic category labels by pupils with migration backgrounds in a secondary school class in Venlo, the Netherlands.1 These pupils, almost all of whom were born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as Marokkaan ‘Moroccan’, Turk ‘Turk’ or buitenlander ‘foreigner’ and referred to others as Nederlander (‘Dutch’).1
Much literature and public debate assumes an association between ethnic labels and ethnic identity work, these interpretations rarely take stock of the non-ethnic work that can be done by reference to ethnic labels
Pupils categorized themselves and others according to their migration backgrounds, but in daily use, the categories had a number of locally contingent associations

Summary

Introduction

This paper analyzes the use of ethnic category labels by pupils with migration backgrounds in a secondary school class in Venlo, the Netherlands ( class 3b of South High School). These pupils, almost all of whom were born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as Marokkaan ‘Moroccan’, Turk ‘Turk’ or buitenlander ‘foreigner’ and referred to others (but not themselves) as Nederlander (‘Dutch’). This paper analyzes the use of ethnic category labels by pupils with migration backgrounds in a secondary school class in Venlo, the Netherlands ( class 3b of South High School).. This paper analyzes the use of ethnic category labels by pupils with migration backgrounds in a secondary school class in Venlo, the Netherlands ( class 3b of South High School).1 These pupils, almost all of whom were born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as Marokkaan ‘Moroccan’, Turk ‘Turk’ or buitenlander ‘foreigner’ and referred to others (but not themselves) as Nederlander (‘Dutch’). I explore the meanings of those categories in their local context, and in doing so, take issue with research that understands the use of ethnic labels for self-reference as an indication of a lack of national belonging (e.g. Azghari, Hooghiemstra, & Van de Vijver, 2015; Verkuyten & Yildiz, 2007). In order to understand how pupils’ use of categories is embedded in wider social structures, it is necessary to first review the context of, and discourses surrounding, immigration in the Netherlands

Frameworks

Ethnographic fieldwork in class 3b

Labeling selves and others

19 P maar zou je liever meer op een Marokkaan willen lijken dan?

Labels and local social hierarchies

A 9 M M P M A M A M

Conclusion