South-south migration and education: the case of people of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

The world is witnessing an era of unprecedented human mobility and much of this movement entails migration between countries in the global south. This article contributes to the development of an important new line of inquiry within the field of comparative and international education: South-South migration and education. In the first section, I review the available literature to sketch the outlines of this phenomenon. I then examine a particular case: schooling for youth of Haitian descent born and living in the Dominican Republic. The qualitative data reveals two important findings: first, despite claims to the contrary, some immigrant children are still being denied access to basic education; second, once enrolled in school, children and youth of Haitian descent, and especially darker-skinned boys, are subject to intense verbal abuse and, in some cases, physical abuse. As I discuss in the conclusion, the case of Haitians in the Dominican Republic raises significant questions regarding south-south migration and education that merit further and, when possible, comparative scrutiny.