Overcoming Religious and Racioreligious Othering in Preschools: Transforming Educational Policies for More Social Just Pedagogies

Abstract

The article addresses religious and racioreligious othering in preschools in South Tyrol, an autonomous province in Northern Italy with a predominantly catholic population in which migration is still discussed as a rather ‘new’ phenomenon. Theoretically, the article draws on education policy research and on migration pedagogy as a way to understand how religion-related policy recommendations are connected to social hierarchisations and how they are enacted in educational practice. Empirically, the article is based on ethnographic research in South Tyrolean preschools. During the fieldwork in three preschools, religion proved to be a relevant category of othering and hierarchisation. With an analysis of a policy paper, fieldnotes and transcribed audio recordings, the article aims at contributing to an understanding on how teachers, despite their good intentions, contribute to religious and racioreligious othering and how children as active agents centre their friendships and resist religion-based hierarchisations. The article ends with suggestions on how pedagogical policies and practices can support children and teachers in countering religious and racioreligious othering.