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Abstract
Interaction with peers is central to the social development of student-teachers. Despite the democratic changes in South Africa in 1994, which resulted in integrated education, it is noticeable that many undergraduate student-teachers at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Education find it difficult to establish and maintain interracial and intercultural relationships with their peers. Exploring and discussing themes of race relations, discrimination and social rejection in young adult fiction during lectures and in tutorial groups offers students opportunities to imagine a world larger than their own. These discussions can help them , to construct wider friendships and bridge racial and cultural divides. All titles referred to in this article were published after 1990, and include the following: The strollers by Lesley Beake, The red-haired Khumalo by Elana Bregin, Dianne Case's 92 Queens Road, The mending season by Kagiso Lesego Molope and Jenny Robson's Because pula means rain. Students' responses to texts are included. Keywords: Discrimination; prejudice; diversity; multicultural; youth fiction.