“So, I'm Maybe 10% Syrian”. Younger Pupils' Boundary Work in Swedish Superdiverse SAECs

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines how younger pupils (Ages 7–9) engage in boundary work in two Swedish superdiverse school‐age educare centers (henceforth SAECs). The empirical material consists of individual and group interviews conducted in two superdiverse Swedish SAECs, located in socioeconomically disadvantaged and segregated areas. The article's main argument is that pupils' boundary work is affected by their superdiverse setting, resulting in partly inverted status orders. The findings point, however, to a contradictory dynamic: while broader societal status hierarchies are partly inverted within the superdiverse SAEC, norms regarding Swedish supremacy continue to operate as an often‐implicit governing frame of reference.