Multiple Identities and Shared Senses of Belonging? A Qualitative Analysis of Children’s Identity Formation in a Super-diverse City
Author: Imane Kostet, imane.kostet@uantwerpen.be
Department: Sociology
University: University of Antwerp, Belgium
Supervisor: Prof. dr. Gert Verschraegen
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: English
Keywords:
Cultural sociology
, Identity and diversity
, Education
, Childhood studies
Areas of Research:
Childhood
, Stratification
, Migration
Abstract
The central aim of this research is to examine how children with diverse backgrounds construct personal and collective identities in the super-diverse city of Antwerp. How do children describe their differential identities? How do they develop (or not) a sense of belonging in a society that to a large extent seems to reproduce inequalities between different groups? How do these senses of belonging affect their well-being and aspirations? To answer these questions, and to highlight the hardly heard experiences of children themselves, I aim to conduct a qualitative longitudinal analysis of children's identity formation during the age of eleven and thirteen. Employing a cultural-sociological approach - inspired by, among others, Bourdieu's work - I will track the heterogeneous group of children during their transition from primary to secondary education. Three rounds of in-depth interviews and class observations will be held over this period of more than two years. In addition, I will conduct interviews with parents and focus groups with teachers and peers, in order to gain insight into their stimulating or restricting role in the children's differential identity formation.
