Boundary construction and education: un/belonging among Somali refugee students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study analyzes how un/belonging is experienced by Somali refugee students in public primary schools in the Bole Michael area of Addis Ababa. Drawing on data from interviews and focus group discussions, we place these micro-level experiences of un/belonging in conversation with the current Ethiopian policy for the inclusion of refugees in the national education system. While the inclusion of refugees is now the status quo for large refugee-hosting countries in the Global South, we find that this policy often ignores the specificities of refugees’ educational experiences in particular places. Somali refugees describe public primary schools as ‘difficult’ and ‘alien’ to their culture, while school authorities and teachers characterize Somali learners as ‘others’ who should, but fail to, assimilate. Our findings indicate the need for policies and practices to engage in negotiations between refugees and public schools to move beyond foundational efforts of providing access to schools to goals of learning and belonging.