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Innocent and tolerant children in a world full of prejudices. Is that how it really goes?

“ There can be very exclusive ways of meeting the other in children’s relationships with each other,” says Sirpa Lappalainen, M.Soc.Sc.

In her doctoral dissertation for the Department of Education, Lappalainen, who has also worked as a kindergarten teacher, studied the structuring of nationality, ethnicity and gender in the context of pre-school education. The data gathered from two pre-school groups reveal multiculturalism to be a complex phenomenon, the development of which is not a straightforward task. Even the concept of tolerance connected with multicultural education turns out to be closer to the concept of putting up with.

“ There is a certain kind of patronising attitude evident, which is problematic from the point of view of equality: The members of the majority culture always have the upper hand.”

The concept of nationality was emphasised especially among boys belonging to the majority culture. Their speech reflected the strength of national narratives.

“ One boy raised his voice several times and said that ‘Russia is a stupid country because it robbed Finland of an arm and part of its hem.’ It is startling to hear a six-year-old describe Finland as the wounded Finnish Maiden,” says Lappalainen.

She did not witness any racial abuse or violence. The mechanisms of exclusion were more subtle.

“ They might be seen in the unpleasant tone when saying that ‘at least in our house we eat Finnish food’ or in the reluctance to join hands during a holding-hands game.”

Ethnic background had less of an effect on the friendships between girls. Different ways of life were wondered at and sometimes even moralised about but there was little exclusion in peer relationships.

According to Lappalainen, the neo-liberalisation of the educational policy is evident in the emphasis on nationality in pre-school education.

“ It is then good to ask to what degree are the Finns committed to their ‘own’ culture and whose Finnishness is talked about at any given time?”

Text: Kai Maksimainen
Picture: Mia Sauranan & Annina Rönnblad
www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications

Translation: Valtasana Oy