The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens
This paper explores how kindergarten teachers relate to the concept of safety in the integration of refugee children. My research findings reveal that the concept of safety, or trygghet in Norwegian, is understood as emotional support and comfort accorded to children. The notion of trygghet emerges...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Stavanger
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Comparative Social Work |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/386 |
| _version_ | 1811179748623122432 |
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| author | Eric Kimathi |
| author_facet | Eric Kimathi |
| author_sort | Eric Kimathi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper explores how kindergarten teachers relate to the concept of safety in the integration of refugee children. My research findings reveal that the concept of safety, or trygghet in Norwegian, is understood as emotional support and comfort accorded to children. The notion of trygghet emerges as an important value-laden concept that shapes and largely influences teachers’ everyday work, and how they relate to children and their parents. The idea of safety is traceable within an institutional discourse mediated by social technology, such as the International Child Development Programme and the Resource Centre for Violence and Trauma programmes, which have their roots in psy-discourses. My findings indicate that the construction of a potentially ‘traumatized’ refugee child is interconnected with the assumed need for safety. When using this discourse in their daily work, the kindergarten staff contribute to constructing and reproducing a specific category that I refer to as the ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety. This standardized understanding risks categorizing refugee children, and highlights how professionals can get caught up in dominant discourses that universalize their routine practices.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:39:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c56e166a74294effb43f22222e87bcd8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0809-9936 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:39:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | University of Stavanger |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Comparative Social Work |
| spelling | doaj.art-c56e166a74294effb43f22222e87bcd82022-12-22T04:39:35ZengUniversity of StavangerJournal of Comparative Social Work0809-99362022-11-0117210.31265/jcsw.v17i2.386The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartensEric Kimathi This paper explores how kindergarten teachers relate to the concept of safety in the integration of refugee children. My research findings reveal that the concept of safety, or trygghet in Norwegian, is understood as emotional support and comfort accorded to children. The notion of trygghet emerges as an important value-laden concept that shapes and largely influences teachers’ everyday work, and how they relate to children and their parents. The idea of safety is traceable within an institutional discourse mediated by social technology, such as the International Child Development Programme and the Resource Centre for Violence and Trauma programmes, which have their roots in psy-discourses. My findings indicate that the construction of a potentially ‘traumatized’ refugee child is interconnected with the assumed need for safety. When using this discourse in their daily work, the kindergarten staff contribute to constructing and reproducing a specific category that I refer to as the ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety. This standardized understanding risks categorizing refugee children, and highlights how professionals can get caught up in dominant discourses that universalize their routine practices. https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/386safetytraumapsy knowledgekindergartensinstitutional ethnography |
| spellingShingle | Eric Kimathi The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens Journal of Comparative Social Work safety trauma psy knowledge kindergartens institutional ethnography |
| title | The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens |
| title_full | The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens |
| title_fullStr | The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens |
| title_full_unstemmed | The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens |
| title_short | The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens |
| title_sort | construction of a traumatized refugee child in need of safety in norwegian kindergartens |
| topic | safety trauma psy knowledge kindergartens institutional ethnography |
| url | https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/386 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT erickimathi theconstructionofatraumatizedrefugeechildinneedofsafetyinnorwegiankindergartens AT erickimathi constructionofatraumatizedrefugeechildinneedofsafetyinnorwegiankindergartens |