<p>Drawing on broader discussions that attempt to envision new ways of negotiating identity, nationalism and race in a post-colonial, post-apartheid South Africa, this thesis examines how whiteness is constructed and negotiated within the framework of literary-journalistic narratives. It is significant that so many established journalists have chosen a literary format, in which they use the structure, conventions, form and style of the novel, while clearly foregrounding their journalistic priorities, to re-imagine possibilities for narratives of identity and belonging for white South Africans. I argue that by working at the interstice of literature and journalism, writers are able to open new rhetorical spaces in which white South African identity can be interrogated.</p> <p><br /> This thesis examines the literary narratives of Rian Malan (My Traitor&rsquo / s Heart, 1991), Antjie Krog (Country of My Skull, 1998, and Begging to be Black, 2009), Kevin Bloom (Ways of Staying, 2009) and Jonny Steinberg (Midlands, 2002). These writers all seem to grapple with the recurring themes of &lsquo / history&rsquo / , &lsquo / narrative&rsquo / and &lsquo / identity&rsquo / , and in exploring the narratives of their personal and national history, they attempt to make sense of their current situation. The texts that this thesis examines exhibit an acute awareness of the necessity of bringing whiteness into conversation with &lsquo / other&rsquo / identities, and thus I explore both the ways in which that is attempted and the degree to which the texts succeed, in their respective projects. I also examine what literary genres offer these journalists in their engagement with issues of whiteness and white identity that conventional forms of journalism do not. These writers are challenging the conventions of genre &ndash / both literary and journalistic &ndash / during a period of social and political flux, and I argue that in attempting to limn new narrative forms, they are in fact outlining new possibilities for white identities and ways of belonging and speaking. However, a close reading of these literary-journalistic narratives reveals whiteness in post-apartheid South African to be a multifaceted and often contradictory construct and position. Despite the lingering privilege and structural advantage associated with whiteness, South African whiteness appears strongly characterised by a deep-seated anxiety that stems from a perpetual sense of &lsquo / un-belonging&rsquo / . However, while white skin remains a significant marker of identity, there does appear to be the possibility of moving beyond whiteness into positions of hybridity which offer interesting potential for &lsquo / becoming-other&rsquo / .</p>

Abstract This study brings together the politics of belonging, relational narrative inquiry and values and values education in the context of Finnish early childhood education. The study draws on the politics of belonging within which belonging and exclusion are understood as relational rather than individual phenomena. The significant relations for belonging and exclusion do not just emerge between humans, but they are also material, cultural and political. The study asks how the politics of belonging are shaped in young children’s diverse relations in a Finnish preschool context. The onto-epistemological premise of the study relies on the relational narrative inquiry. The study was implemented in six Finnish preschools, where the children’s ages ranged from 1 to 5 years. The research material consisted of written small stories, videos, participatory observations, field notes and discussions with the educators. The analysis was based on holistic reading and re-reading and supported by the idea of small stories and theory of gaps. The findings highlight three interrelated entrances to understanding the politics of belonging in the preschool context. First, the study emphasises the politics of belonging as constantly shaped and lived in daily encounters. The findings illustrated the co-existence of belonging and exclusion. Usually it was one child who was excluded by other children in the fleeting moments of daily life, and often when the educators were not present. Second, the study reveals the meaning of the pedagogical practices in the politics of belonging. Pedagogical practices were tightly surrounded with the materiality, institutional routines and cultural aspects, such as spaces, artefacts, routines, rules, curriculum and legislation. The third entrance provides insights into the value-bound nature of the politics of belonging. Belonging emerged as closely related to democratic, caring and disciplinary values. The findings raised a tension between individually and collectively oriented values. The study argues for understanding the politics of belonging shaped in a landscape of diverse relations and value fields, where the children were active agents in their belonging and exclusion. / Tiivistelmä Väitöskirja yhdistää yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikan, suhteisen kerronnallisen tutkimuksen sekä arvot ja arvokasvatuksen suomalaisen varhaiskasvatuksen kontekstissa. Yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikka käsitteenä haastaa tutkimaan yhteenkuuluvuutta ja poissuljetuksi tulemista suhteissa muotoutuvana ilmiönä ennemmin kuin yksilön näkökulmasta. Suhteisuus nostaa esille ihmisten välisten suhteiden lisäksi myös materiaaliset, kulttuuriset ja poliittiset suhteet merkityksellisinä yhteenkuuluvuudelle. Tutkimus kysyy: Kuinka yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikka muotoutuu pienten lasten moninaisissa suhteissa suomalaisessa päiväkotikontekstissa? Tutkimuksen onto-epistemologinen lähtökohta on suhteisessa kerronnallisessa tutkimusotteessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin kuudessa päiväkodissa, joissa lapset olivat 1–5-vuotiaita. Tutkimusaineisto koostui kirjoitetuista pienistä kertomuksista, videoista, osallistuvista havainnoinneista, muistiinpanoista ja keskusteluista varhaiskasvattajien kanssa. Tutkimusaineiston analyysi pohjautui kokonaisvaltaiseen luentaan ja uudelleen luentaan, soveltaen kerronnallisia käsitteitä ”pienet kertomukset” ja ”välien teoria”. Tulokset tuovat esille kolme toisiinsa kietoutunutta näkökulmaa. Ensiksi tutkimus korostaa yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikkaa jatkuvasti muuttuvana ja arjen kohtaamisissa muotoutuvana ilmiönä. Tulokset havainnollistavat yhteenkuuluvuuden ja poissuljetuksi tulemisen samanaikaista olemassaoloa. Yleensä yksi lapsi poissuljettiin leikin ulkopuolelle arjen ohikiitävissä hetkissä, joissa työntekijöitä ei ollut läsnä. Toiseksi tutkimus nostaa esille pedagogisten käytänteiden merkityksen. Pedagogiset käytänteet suhteissa materiaan, institutionaalisiin rutiineihin ja kulttuurisiin näkökulmiin tuottivat yhteenkuulumista ja poissuljetuksi tulemista. Tulokset avaavat tilojen, tavaroiden, rutiinien, sääntöjen, varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman perusteiden sekä lainsäädännön merkityksiä. Kolmas näkökulma avaa arvojen ja arvokasvatuksen kietoutuneisuuden. Yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikka liittyy läheisesti demokraattisiin, hoivan ja välittämisen sekä kurin ja järjestyksen arvoalueisiin. Tutkimus paljastaa jännitteitä suhteessa yksilöllisiin ja yhteisöllisiin arvoihin. Tutkimus haastaa tarkastelemaan yhteenkuuluvuuden politiikkaa moninaisten suhteiden ja arvojen maisemassa, jossa lapset ovat aktiivisia toimijoita yhteenkuulumisessaan ja poissuljetuksi tulemisessaan.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Drawing on broader discussions that attempt to envision new ways of negotiating identity, nationalism and race in a post-colonial, post-apartheid South Africa, this thesis examines how whiteness is constructed and negotiated within the framework of literary-journalistic narratives. It is significant that so many established journalists have chosen a literary format, in which they use the structure, conventions, form and style of the novel, while clearly foregrounding their journalistic priorities, to re-imagine possibilities for narratives of identity and belonging for white South Africans. I argue that by working at the interstice of literature and journalism, writers are able to open new rhetorical spaces in which white South African identity can be interrogated. This thesis examines the literary narratives of Rian Malan (My Traitor’s Heart, 1991), Antjie Krog (Country of My Skull, 1998, and Begging to be Black, 2009), Kevin Bloom (Ways of Staying, 2009) and Jonny Steinberg (Midlands, 2002). These writers all seem to grapple with the recurring themes of 'history', 'narrative', 'dentity' and in exploring the narratives of their personal and national history, they attempt to make sense of their current situation. The texts that this thesis examines exhibit an acute awareness of the necessity of bringing whiteness into conversation with 'other' identities, and thus I explore both the ways in which that is attempted and the degree to which the texts succeed, in their respective projects. I also examine what literary genres offer these journalists in their engagement with issues of whiteness and white identity that conventional forms of journalism do not. These writers are challenging the conventions of genre - both literary and journalistic - during a period of social and political flux, and I argue that in attempting to limn new narrative forms, they are in fact outlining new possibilities for white identities and ways of belonging and speaking. However, a close reading of these literary-journalistic narratives reveals whiteness in post-apartheid South African to be a multifaceted and often contradictory construct and position. Despite the lingering privilege and structural advantage associated with whiteness, South African whiteness appears strongly characterised by a deep-seated anxiety that stems from a perpetual sense of ‘un-belonging’. However, while white skin remains a significant marker of identity, there does appear to be the possibility of moving beyond whiteness into positions of hybridity which offer interesting potential for ‘becoming-other’ / South Africa

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In 1944, the Soviet Union deported hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars from Crimea, one of whom was the Ukrainian artist Jamala's great-grandmother Nazylchan. Almost a hundred years later, and only two years after Russia's annexation of Crimea, Jamala represents Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "1944". The song is about the great-grandmother's experiences of the deportation of Crimean Tatars and was accused of containing political messages, which becomes relevant as the competition prohibits all kinds of political elements. The contribution was reviewed by the EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, and was not judged to be political. The Eurovision Song Contest is an avowedly non-political competition that was started after the Second World War with the aim of keeping the peace in Europe and giving Europeans something to unite around. The countries participating in the competition nominate artists and songs that represent the country in the international music competition. This study examines how the case of Jamala and the contribution "1944" has been used in and outside the competition by Jamala to create awareness and mobilize support for both Ukraine and Crimean Tatars with the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. To examine how Jamala identifies with her family, how she relates to what is political and what is not, as well as how she and other representatives of countries in international cultural events can be understood as political ambassadors, this study can provide some answers to how politics, national identity and representation in that type of context can be understood to be related. / År 1944 deporterade Sovjetunionen hundratusentals krimtatarer från Krim, en av dem var artisten Jamalas gammelfarmor Nazylchan. Nästan hundra år senare och bara två år efter Rysslands annektering av Krim ställer Jamala upp som representant för Ukraina i Eurovision Song Contest 2016 med låten "1944". Låten handlar om gammelfarmoderns upplevelser av deportationen av krimtatarer och anklagas för att innehålla politiska budskap, vilket blir relevant då tävlingen förbjuder alla typer av politiska inslag. Bidraget granskas av EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, och bedöms inte vara politisk. Eurovision Song Contest är en uttalat icke-politisk tävling som startades efter andra världskriget med syfte att behålla freden i Europa och ge européerna något att enas kring. Länderna som medverkar i tävlingen utser artister och låtar som representerar landet i den internationella musiktävlingen. Denna studie undersöker hur fallet Jamala och bidraget "1944" använts i och utanför tävlingen av Jamala för att skapa medvetenhet kring och mobilisera stöd till såväl Ukraina som krimtatarer i och med deportationen av krimtatarer 1944, annekteringen av Krim 2014 samt invasionen av Ukraina 2022. Genom att undersöka hur Jamala identifierar sig med sin familj, hur hon förhåller sig till vad som är politiskt och inte samt hur hon och andra representanter för länder i internationella kulturella evenemang kan förstås som politiska ambassadörer kan denna studie ge några svar på hur politik, nationell identitet och representation i den typen av sammanhang kan förstås höra samman.

The following research project is split into two phases and concludes with a synthesis of both phases. The overarching aim of the research project is to explore how mainstream schools can best work with alternative providers to make collective provision for those identified as having Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties. In the first phase, a realistic evaluation methodology (Pawson & Tilley, 1997) is adopted and semi structured interviews are used to explore the experiences of staff in relation to pupils on a shared placement. A provisional theory is then developed to explain the outcomes of the shared placement arrangement. The second phase of the research involves gathering the views and perceptions of the pupils and also utilises the realistic evaluation approach. The aim of this phase is to refine and update the provisional theory developed in Phase 1. This study adopts a mixed methods approach, utilising semi-structured interviews with the pupils. A quantitative element is introduced through a closer examination of the relationship between pupils’ sense of school belonging and the success, or otherwise of the shared placement. Throughout both phases of the research, there is a focus on discovering how a shared placement affects the pupil and what the outcomes of this arrangement are. The project is also heavily focused on identifying the contextual conditions that either facilitate or inhibit positive outcomes occurring. The findings of the research indicate that shared placements can lead to a variety of outcomes for pupils. When it works well, pupils become more engaged with their education and this has a positive impact on their behaviour and emotional development. However, it is also clear that shared placements can result in undesirable outcomes including further disengagement from the mainstream school. When outcomes were positive, the shared placement increased pupils’ self-efficacy, aspirations and facilitated achievement. These factors were supported by valuing pupil voice, excellent partnership working between settings and the schools willingness to include children with complex needs. This research also highlights that a greater sense of belonging to the mainstream school is associated with an increased likelihood of positive outcomes occurring. This project has explored an area which has been largely neglected in previous research. The theories developed have a variety of implications for Educational Psychologists as well as wider implications, and these are discussed in the final section. Figure 1 presents a visual overview of the research project.

This study is a part of the social science program on Linnaeus University. The purpose of this study is to understand how Somali women in Sweden look upon their cultural identity. We also aim to understand how their cultural identity is affected by living there life with an influence from two different cultures. In this perspective we are focusing on how media in Sweden is presenting Somalia and Somali people. The data in this study has been collected through qualitative interviews with 7 Somali women. These women have been identified through a contact person or by the women that has participated in the interviews. The number of women in this survey has been limited by the possibility to find candidates that fitted with the defined research criteria’s. One essential part in our findings is that the women’s view on their cultural identity tends to be dynamic and depending on the situation. Though there might also be a conflict in the women’s feelings towards their cultural identity and ambivalent emotions might be present. We have also concluded that the women see the media picture as one dimensional and negative. The media reflection might have an impact on the identity for the individuals since the self-identity must relate to the stereotyped reflection.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the male adolescent’s sense of belonging in his family, in order to arrive at a Gestalt understanding of this concept. In order to achieve the aim, a conceptual framework was outlined focusing on concepts central to this topic, including belonging, adolescence and Gestalt theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven adolescents in order to obtain rich data. The data collected during these interviews was subsequently analysed and several themes and categories were identified and explored by the use of a literature control. Conclusions, recommendations and a Gestalt understanding of belonging were then presented. / Play Therapy / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Embedded in debates concerning Britishness and citizenship, this thesis considers the influence of the dualistic tradition on citizenship theory and highlights the exclusionary nature of citizenship as founded in this paradigm. Working within this dualistic paradigm means that the lives and practices of being a citizen are not captured, creating an exclusionary cycle whereby the concept excludes the lives of many citizens, and many individuals are excluded from being a citizen as defined by the concept. This thesis used participatory, visual and online methods to explore belonging and exclusion with young people around England. Informed strongly by the field research, this thesis analyses citizenship as defined through dualistic and embodied paradigms and considers the potential of an embodied concept of citizenship for engaging young people.

This thesis investigates asylum seekers/refugees’ orientations to belonging and identity. It is based on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted among asylum seekers/refugees residing in Scotland between 2006 and 2008 and on a media monitoring of a number of UK newspapers. The interviews were analysed for interviewees’ orientations to feelings of belonging and identity with the UK, Scotland and homelands. They were also analysed for interviewees’ perceptions (beliefs and understandings) of newspapers’ reporting of asylum and importance to their sense of national belonging and national identity forming. The monitoring provided the context of newspapers’ reporting of asylum at the time of interviews. It enabled a small-scale examination of media content with reference to interviewees’ perceptions. The thesis explores two assumptions. Firstly, asylum seekers/refugees’ national belonging and national identity formations are complex and contingent upon their everyday ‘lived’ experiences. Secondly, asylum seekers/refugees’ belonging and identity formations, as social processes of citizenship, cannot be understood in isolation from the high visibility of the asylum issue in UK media. As an empirical study, therefore, its findings are deployed to critique policymaking, theoretical and media accounts of non-British citizens’ forms of belonging to, and identification with the British ‘nation’. It is suggested that, in addition to policymaking, there are other social circumstances that would facilitate ethnic minority migrants’ national belonging and national identity formations. These factors do not only account for the prioritising of Scottishness over Britishness, but also migrants’ ‘hyphenated’ identities. This thesis will therefore provide evidence suggesting that non-citizens (ethnic minorities), have their own meanings and agency of orientating to a feeling of national belonging and national identity that is nuanced and contingent on their experiences. The thesis does not aim to establish media causality. However, it highlights the fact that newspaper coverage can evoke responses from marginalised groups and provide the context from which identities are narrated and mobilised. The thesis will improve our understanding of the practices, meanings and contestations of belonging and identity that is grounded in the ‘lived’ experiences of noncitizens. This sociological dimension to ethnic minorities’ citizenship forming is not only poorly understood, but has been dominated by theoretical and policymaking accounts in the contemporary state.