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HomeResourcesLanguage, education and the politics of belonging: Refugee education in Malawi
Research1 November 2018

Language, education and the politics of belonging: Refugee education in Malawi

This study examines the role of language and education in shaping the sense of belonging and future prospects for refugees in Malawi's encampment system.

M. Dyrness
PDF

M. Dyrness explores how the choice of language in education (specifically the shift towards the Malawian curriculum) impacts refugee students’ identities and their feelings of “belonging” in a country where they have limited legal rights to stay permanently.

Key Themes

  • Educational Policy: The impact of integrating refugee education into the national Malawian system.
  • Linguistic Identity: How the use of English and Chichewa vs. home languages (Swahili, French) affects learning and identity.
  • Politics of Belonging: The tension between being “educated for Malawi” while remaining legally “refugees.”
  • Social Integration: The role of schools as spaces for interaction between refugees and the host community.

Document info

Author:
M. Dyrness
Type:
pdf
Updated:
1 Nov 2018

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