Negotiating co‐existence in divided societies: teachers, students and parents' perspectives at a shared school in Cyprus

Abstract

This article describes a study conducted at a shared secondary school in Cyprus – that is, a school which co‐educates children coming from two conflicting ethnic communities on the island. The study focuses on teachers', students' and parents' perspectives about the struggles to negotiate co‐existence in this school. Drawing on a three‐month ethnographic research project, the findings provide insights into how teachers, students and parents from the two conflicting communities draw selectively from various discourses and practices on collective identity and ethnic conflict in Cyprus to support the pre‐existing values and beliefs adopted from family and schooling. Critical multicultural theory is utilised to analyse the power relations involved in policies and practices at this shared school. The implications of this analysis are discussed in terms of de‐emphasising bipolar differences and actively exploring alternative curricula, policies and pedagogical practices that create opportunities for critical dialogues so that empathy, multiperspectivity, solidarity and social justice are nurtured.

Keywords:

• shared/integrated education
• ethnic conflict
• critical multiculturalism
• Cyprus

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the principal, the teachers, the students and the parents at this shared school for allowing my research team to conduct the study. For the funding of the research conducted, I acknowledge the support of the Open University of Cyprus.

Notes

1. The terms shared and integrated education are often used interchangeably; however, the term ‘integrated’ is more accurate when there is roughly an equal balance of students who come from conflicting communities and choose to be educated together (McGlynn et al. 2004). The term ‘shared education’ is preferred in the context of Cyprus, because as it will become clear: (1) there is not an equal balance of students who come from the two conflicting communities at the school that constitutes the focus of this study; and (2) not all students at this school choose willingly to be educated with the Other (see Johnson 2007).

2. To facilitate the readers’ identification of the participant's ethnicity, I have added a GC in parenthesis after the name of a GC participant and a TC after those of TCs.

3. The school follows the national curriculum for religious education of the GC public schools and thus TCs are excluded from attending religious education classes.

4. I am indebted to one of the anonymous reviewers for pushing the argument into this direction.