The Labeling and Positioning of Refugee Students and Their Refusal to be (Mis)Positioned

Abstract

Around the world, refugees are portrayed as victims in need of humanitarian aid or alternatively, suspicious burdens on resettlement societies. These stereotypical portrayals position them as distinct from other migrants. However, in schools, students are homogenized. Here, we contribute to the fields of multicultural education and migration studies by analyzing the politics and complexities of labeling minoritized students in schools. Drawing on data collected in an 18-month case study of a Southwest school district’s response to refugee students and their families, we interrogate the labeling and positioning of refugee students. We show refugee students from African and Middle Eastern nations being labeled as African American to bolster a school districts’ racial desegregation data and being put in competition with Mexican-migrant students for services. We also reveal how some of the refugees refuse the labels and positioning. We conclude with the implications for all students and offer recommendations for educators.