Stateless in School: The ‘discomfort’ of Kurdish asylum seekers

Abstract

ABSTRACT The lives of children seeking asylum and refuge are complex; invariably both transnational and intersectional. Their educational needs and schooling experiences are often overlooked or lack nuanced understandings. This article focusses on Kurdish children seeking asylum in Germany. Qualitative data is presented to uncover the perceptions and understandings of schools, teachers and parents of children living through their unique educational experiences. These narratives are nestled within a macro context of worldwide forced migration and how formal education is responding to this but also the geo-political context of Kurdish statelessness. The analysis reveals that the children were spatially, culturally, linguistically, racially, socially and politically marginalised. This was both implicit and explicit; embedded within policy and practice. The study highlights the school as a prime location where racial identity and asylum seeking intersects with the multiple realities of childhood, migration, and education.