Racism in Schools: History, Explanations, Impact, and Intervention Approaches

Description

Racism, i.e. discrimination against people on the basis of their supposed ethnic origin, is omnipresent in schools. Apart from students, trainees and teachers, all actors in the school context are affected by this topic. Why is this so? How can racist discrimination be explained? What effects does this behavior have on those affected? And how can schools counteract it? These are all questions that arise and which this book aims to answer with the intention of enabling all those acting in the school context to critically examine their own knowledge bases relevant to racism. This book contributes to the development of school as a racism-sensitive space in which all actors behave in a racism-sensitive manner. Therefore, in addition to an overview of the history of racism, approaches to explaining racist behavior and the effects of racist discrimination, prevention and intervention approaches for a practice critical of racism in schools are presented. The Anti-Racist School—A Preface Contents Editors and Contributors 1 Racism—An Introduction 1.1 Introduction to the Topic 1.1.1 Gibran Tells of Experiences with Racism During his School Years 1.1.2 Classification of Interviews 1.2 In Search of a (Suitable) Definition of Racism 1.2.1 What is Racism? A Definition by Stuart Hall 1.2.2 A Brief Look at the History of Racism 1.2.3 And Today? Neo- or Cultural Racism 1.2.4 But How Does Racism Differ from Discrimination? 1.2.5 Forms of Discrimination and Racism 1.2.5.1 Individual Racism 1.2.5.2 Structural Racism 1.2.5.3 Institutional Racism 1.2.5.4 Ideological-Discursive Discrimination 1.2.5.5 The Result? A Divided Society 1.2.5.6 The Thing with Normality 1.2.6 Everyday Racism 1.2.7 Racism in Language Usage 1.2.8 … and at School? 1.3 After All This: What is Racism Not? 1.4 Take-Home-Messages 1.5 Historical Background of Racism 1.5.1 Antique 1.5.2 Middle Ages 1.5.3 The Early Modern Period and the Rule of the Moors 1.5.4 Colonization, Expansion and Slavery 1.5.5 The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 1.5.5.1 Race Struggle, Racial Mixture and Racial Generation 1.5.6 Development of Racism During the Twentieth Century 1.5.7 Development to Today’s Anti-Racism and Racism 1.5.8 Insights into the History of Racism in Luxembourg and Current International Trends 1.5.9 Racism in Schools Today 1.5.10 Take-Home-Messages 1.6 Legal Classification of Racism 1.6.1 Introduction to the Legal Classification of Racism 1.6.2 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)—Content 1.6.3 Limits of ICERD Regulations 1.6.4 The Role of the Justice System in Combating Racism 1.6.5 Freedom of Opinion Versus Racism 1.6.6 Conclusion on the Legal Classification of Racism 1.6.7 Take-Home-Messages 1.7 Racism in Language 1.7.1 Origins and Maintenance of Racism in the German Language 1.7.2 Racist Terms in the German Language 1.7.3 When is a Language Usage Racist? References 2 How Can Racist Behavior be Explained? 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Basic Terms 2.3 The Human as a Cognitive Miser 2.3.1 Strategies for Cognitive Relief: Heuristics 2.3.2 Representativeness Heuristic 2.3.3 Availability Heuristic 2.3.4 Examples of the Usefulness of Categorized Thinking and Heuristics 2.4 The Ingroup and Outgroup Bias 2.4.1 Neural Basis of In- and Outgroup Biases 2.4.2 Theory of Realistic Group Conflict 2.4.3 Social Identity Theory 2.5 Summary 2.6 Prejudices as the Root of Racism—How do Prejudices Develop? 2.6.1 Learning Theoretical Approach 2.6.2 Cognitive and Social-Cognitive Approach 2.6.3 Motivational Approach 2.7 Stereotypes 2.7.1 Automatic Information Processing 2.7.2 Influence of Automatic Activation of Stereotypes on Behavior 2.7.3 Controlled Information Processing 2.7.4 Models of Impression Formation 2.7.4.1 The Continuum Model of Impression Formation 2.7.4.2 The Two-Process Model of Impression Formation 2.7.5 Stereotype-Threat-Theory and Self-fulfilling Prophecy 2.8 Risk and Protective Factors of Racism 2.8.1 Globalization and Microaggressions 2.8.2 Counteracting the Negative Effects of Racism 2.9 What Makes it Difficult to Deal with Racism? 2.9.1 Power Relations and Content of Stereotypes 2.9.2 Self-Image—I’m a Good Person After All 2.9.3 Uncertainties in Definition and Horns Effect 2.9.4 Intention Not a Prerequisite 2.10 Covert Racism 2.10.1 Interpretive Sovereignty 2.10.2 Change in Expression 2.10.3 Ethnic Identity 2.10.4 Conscious and Unconscious Processes 2.11 Errors in Reasoning 2.11.1 Don’t the Others See That at All?! 2.11.2 The Belief in Biological Differences 2.11.3 Racist Group Assignment—A Chaos 2.12 Why it Can Still Succeed 2.13 Take Home Message References 3 Effects of Racist Discrimination 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Racist Discrimination and Mental Health 3.2.1 Research Approach 3.2.2 Racism and Mental Health 3.2.3 Empirical Research Status 3.2.3.1 Representative Studies from Germany 3.2.3.2 International Findings 3.2.4 Socio-Demographic Differences 3.3 Psychological Effects of Racism 3.3.1 Anxiety Disorders 3.3.1.1 Separation Anxiety 3.3.1.2 Phobic Disorder of Childhood 3.3.1.3 Childhood Social Anxiety Disorder 3.3.1.4 School Phobia 3.3.1.5 School Anxiety 3.3.2 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 3.3.3 Depressive Disorders 3.3.4 Disorders of Social Behavior 3.3.5 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 3.3.6 Resilience 3.3.7 Treatment of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents 3.3.8 Outlook 3.4 Physical/Physiological Effects of Racism 3.4.1 High Blood Pressure and Coronary Artery Calcification 3.4.2 Sleep and Sexual Problems 3.4.3 Abdominal Body Fat and Weight Changes 3.4.4 Health 3.4.5 Violence 3.4.6 Excursus: Effects on the Perpetrator 3.5 Effects of Racism on School Life 3.5.1 Introduction: Cultural Diversity 3.5.2 Racism and Discrimination in Schools 3.5.3 Europe’s Schools and Racist Discrimination 3.5.4 Explanations of the Inequalities 3.5.5 Consequences of Racism for the Psychosocial School Outcomes 3.5.5.1 Role of Teachers 3.5.5.2 Role of Peers 3.5.5.3 Role of Gender 3.5.6 Consequences for Long-Term School and Work Career 3.5.7 Excursus: USA and Racism References 4 Recognize—Prevent—Intervene: (Self-)Reflective Prevention and Intervention Approaches for a Racism-Critical Practice in School 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Prevention and Intervention Options at the Level of the Institution and its Teachers 4.2.1 Orientation and Posture Work as a Teacher 4.2.2 Cooperation with Parents 4.2.3 Exercises and Instructions for Teachers 4.2.3.1 The Anti-Bias Approach (Anti-Bias Network, 2021; Bovha & Kontzi, 2011; Gramelt, 2010) 4.2.3.2 The Ideal Teacher (Research Institute for Vocational Education, 2018) 4.2.3.3 Discrimination: Me and My Work (Research Institute for Vocational Education, 2018) 4.2.3.4 Affected by Racism (Research Institute for Vocational Education, 2018) 4.2.3.5 On the Way to a Human-Friendly Community (Kaletsch & Rech, 2015) 4.2.3.6 Dilemma—Dialog (Kaletsch & Rech, 2015) 4.3 Prevention and Intervention Options at the Level of the Students 4.3.1 Education and Awareness 4.3.1.1 Racial Profiling 4.3.1.2 Dealing with Those Affected—Preventing Secondary Victimization 4.3.1.3 Problem of the Utility Argument 4.3.2 Exercises and Manuals for Use with Students 4.3.2.1 Kindergarten and Daycare: A Special Day (Bühs, 2008) 4.3.2.2 Elementary School: Strong Children ABC (Fortbildungsinstitut für die pädagogische Praxis, 2010) 4.3.2.3 Secondary Level I: Lemon Exercise (AFS Intercultural Encounters e. V., 2020) 4.3.2.4 Secondary Level II: Deniz (Initiative Intersectional Pedagogy, 2015) 4.3.2.5 Exercise on the Topics of Flight, Asylum and Integration of Refugee Children 4.3.3 Book Recommendations for Anti-Racist Education 4.4 Critical Perspectives on Racism Interventions 4.4.1 Anti-Racist Language 4.4.2 Construction of the ‘Others’ 4.4.3 Exotization and Culturalization 4.4.4 Power Relations, Positioning and Representation 4.5 Outlook References Appendix A: Written Interview with Thora Meißner (Conducted by Email) Appendix B