“I am maybe half-and-half Swedish. 50-50.” – Young adolescents’ national identity negotiation in a diverse school setting

Abstract

ABSTRACT To explore young adolescents’ negotiation of their national identity in an educational context, we individually interviewed nine students (ages 10–14) with different backgrounds attending an ethnically diverse school in Sweden. The transcribed interviews were thematically and qualitatively analyzed. Results show that students negotiated their national identity as being quantifiable, often as sized portions of a whole or percentages, and dichotomous (Swedish vs. non-Swedish). Their national identity negotiation further related to feelings of belonging as well as to birthplace, appearance, and language. Results suggest that national identity is more complex for youth with immigrant backgrounds and that the status conferred by being part of the majority group is recognized in ethnically diverse and segregated contexts. These findings on young adolescents’ national identity negotiations can inform future research or educational practices as well as curricula to support national identity development or feelings of belonging in diverse school settings.