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Segregated Schools in Segregated Societies

Issues of safety and risk

Queen's University, Belfast

In segregated societies such as Northern Ireland, schools may become sites of risk rather than sites of learning. This is particularly likely to be the case in interface areas, which are demarcated by peace– lines and other symbolic boundaries. Drawing on maps and focus group discussions with teenagers from interface areas in North Belfast, the article reveals their perceptions and experiences of schools as risky landscapes. Teenagers experienced danger going to and from school and within school gates. The article illustrates the nature of these hazards and explores how teenagers evaluate and manage risk. Teachers attempted to shield teenagers from knowledge of risk and in the process undermined teenagers' attempts to develop resilience. In many cases, teenagers demonstrated a greater level of competence in dealing with actual and perceived risks than teachers often gave them credit for. The case study suggests that teenagers’ ability to cope with and become experienced in coping with risks was sometimes muted because of their wider location in subordinate teacher–pupil relationships.

Key Words: resilience • risk • safety • schools • strategies

Childhood, Vol. 13, No. 4, 441-458 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0907568206068556


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