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With authority and empathy:the dual voice of kindergarten teachers in homogenizing ethnic and class differences in early childhood integration in Hungary
Árendás, Zsuzsanna Messing, Vera Kende, Ágnes
Árendás, Zsuzsanna
Messing, Vera
Kende, Ágnes
Title / Series / Name
Journal of Educational Sciences
Publication Volume
26
Publication Issue
2
Pages
Editors
Keywords
kindergarten integration
Roma (Gypsies)
boundary-making
symbolic violence
street level bureaucracy
SDG 4 - Quality Education
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Roma (Gypsies)
boundary-making
symbolic violence
street level bureaucracy
SDG 4 - Quality Education
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Messing-Vera3_2025.pdf
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URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/28767
Abstract
The present article examines institutional discourses on preschool "integration" in Hungary through qualitative interviews with kindergarten teachers in three ethnically mixed communities. The research investigates boundary-making processes in everyday parenting practices related to the institutional context of early childhood education. In the paper, we focus on how boundaries are (re)constructed in and by the institution of the kindergarten. Our analysis draws on two theoretical frameworks to situate the empirical data: Bourdeau’s concept of symbolic violence, which elucidates the hierarchical relationship between families and kindergarten professionals, and theories of street-level bureaucracy, which shed light on the dual identity of kindergarten teachers as both authoritative figures and empathetic caregivers. Findings from our research suggest that kindergartens, the first compulsory institutional settings for children in Hungary, play a key role in transmitting and enforcing community norms and thus serve as a key instrument for fostering social cohesion. However, the integration mission of teachers and institutions is framed around middleclass norms, positioning them as exclusive standards to which all children and parents need to conform. The key (unintended) consequence of this integration mission is the erasure of cultural and ethnic differences, often accompanied by racializing discourses about the Roma. This study critically examines the integration approach widely shared in early education pedagogy, revealing both its social costs and purported benefits.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2025-12-19
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.35923/JES.2025.2.08