Strategic Self-Invisibilization as Hidden Curriculum: Ambivalent Belonging of Precarious-Status Youth in Canadian Schools

• In Event: Following Policy to Witness the Harms of Epistemic Hierarchy

Abstract

Documentation checkpoints in Canadian secondary schools—from field-trip forms to scholarship applications—constitute a hidden curriculum of exclusion. Grounded in Meloni’s (2023) theory of ambivalent belonging, this mixed-methods, community-partnered study exposes how youth with precarious immigration status (often termed undocumented) practise strategic self-invisibilization to survive policy-driven scrutiny. Fifteen life-history interviews and twenty-nine surveys map a repertoire of under-performance, extracurricular withdrawal, service avoidance, and classroom silence that safeguards identity yet erodes learning, wellbeing, and civic voice. Situating students’ safety tactics within Canada’s contemporary landscape of immigration and education policies, we argue for status-blind curricular reforms and professional practices that guarantee full participation regardless of legal status. Findings illuminate the politics of documentation as curriculum and imagine futures where belonging is unconditional.

Authors

• Xun Ril Li, University of Toronto - OISE

• Dennique Lavia, Justice for Children and Youth

• Arlo Kempf, University of Toronto - OISE