The Empty Desk in Class: A Metaphor in the Lives and Classrooms of Expelled Immigrant Children and Their Teachers

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Empty Desk in Class: A Metaphor in the Lives and Classrooms of Expelled Immigrant Children and Their Teachers
Language: English
Authors: Daelman, Silke (ORCID 0000-0001-5109-9117), De Schauwer, Elisabeth (ORCID 0000-0002-4030-8515), Vanobbergen, Bruno, Van Hove, Geert (ORCID 0000-0003-3266-0524)
Source: International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE). 2023 36(2):121-134.
Availability: Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Early Childhood Education
Grade 2
Primary Education
Grade 6
Intermediate Grades
Middle Schools
Descriptors: Immigrants, Elementary School Teachers, Grade 2, Grade 6, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Childrens Rights, Democratic Values, Inclusion, Figurative Language, Teacher Attitudes, Social Justice, Nonverbal Communication, News Writing, Mass Media
Geographic Terms: Belgium
DOI: 10.1080/09518398.2021.1956628
ISSN: 0951-8398
1366-5898
Abstract: This paper engages with conversations with two teachers who each build socially just pedagogies and engage in minor gestures in response to the socio-educational-political reality they were confronted with -- namely, a pupil disappearing from the classroom when her parents' application for immigration was rejected. In an assemblage connecting the conversations to a transforming picture of an empty desk, to social media posts and online news sources and to post-qualitative literature, we reconfigure the empty desk into polyvocal, continuously moving metaphors and remain attentive to the affective and material forces of the stories that the two teachers tell. The desk functions as (1) a speaking medium and symbol of protest against the violation of children's rights, (2) a relational force in a broken class group, (3) a part of a pedagogical space for learning democracy, and (4) a mirror on our contemporary society. These metaphors become minor gestures and invite us to fulfill our ability to respond ('response-ability') to the violation of rights of 'invisible children' and the daily realization of inclusive education for all children in class.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2023
Accession Number: EJ1384362
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This paper engages with conversations with two teachers who each build socially just pedagogies and engage in minor gestures in response to the socio-educational-political reality they were confronted with -- namely, a pupil disappearing from the classroom when her parents' application for immigration was rejected. In an assemblage connecting the conversations to a transforming picture of an empty desk, to social media posts and online news sources and to post-qualitative literature, we reconfigure the empty desk into polyvocal, continuously moving metaphors and remain attentive to the affective and material forces of the stories that the two teachers tell. The desk functions as (1) a speaking medium and symbol of protest against the violation of children's rights, (2) a relational force in a broken class group, (3) a part of a pedagogical space for learning democracy, and (4) a mirror on our contemporary society. These metaphors become minor gestures and invite us to fulfill our ability to respond ('response-ability') to the violation of rights of 'invisible children' and the daily realization of inclusive education for all children in class.
ISSN:0951-8398
1366-5898
DOI:10.1080/09518398.2021.1956628