Intersecting Oppressions and the Carceral State: Somali Youths’ Experiences in Alberta’s Public School System

• In Event: Roundtable: Critical Criminology: Theory and Application

Abstract

Based on 20 qualitative in-depth interviews, I explore the experiences of Somali Canadian youth within the public school system in Edmonton. In my study, I focus on how various actors within the school system, such as teachers, guidance counselors, school resource officers, etc., contribute to negative and discriminatory experiences of youth. Thus developing an understanding of how these experiences influence life outcomes of Somali Canadian youth, contributing to processes of marginalization, racialization, and criminalization. Previous research has identified the school as a main site of negative experiences for Somali Canadian youth, impacting educational attainment. As conversations regarding anti-Black racism in Canadian schools gain more traction and there is an effort to confront its presence, it remains imperative to understand the implications of institutionalized racism for young students of colour actively grappling with its ramifications. My study contributes to ongoing conversations that seek to address the concerns of Somali communities in Edmonton, in an effort to improve experiences in the public school system.

Author

• Mitra Mokhtari, University of Alberta