Thin places of resistance: a caring response to refugees in rural American schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT The refugee crisis is global in scope and the number of migrants is expected to rise for the foreseeable future. While politicians around the world engage in military action, diplomacy, and rhetoric to shape outcomes to respond to this crisis, local school and community leaders are on the frontlines of migrant-student and family integration and inclusion. In addition, dominant discourse in the U.S. has grown increasingly hostile towards immigrant and refugee populations. With this in mind, our research explores ways school district leaders act as advocates by shaping the practices, policies, and discourse related to refugee integration. We conducted a two-year, qualitative case study in the U.S. state of Vermont between 2018 and 2019. Data collection included in-depth interviews and observations of public meetings with the superintendents of two districts; email communication with the director of a refugee-serving non-profit organisation; and document analyses of publicly available materials related to refugee resettlement. Our study locates strategies contributing to what we call an “architecture of care”, engaged in by school leaders and community members. We highlight the power of small communities to serve as “thin places of resistance”, where community members work together to build welcoming places for newly arrived refugee children and families.