Visible and Invisible Difference

Negotiating Citizenship, Affect, and Resistance

Authors

  • Kerenina K. Dansholm VID Specialized University
  • Joshua D. Dickstein VID Specialized University
  • Heidi D. Stokmo University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v15i3.186816

Keywords:

Citizenship, Citizenship Education, invisible difference, affect, resistance

Abstract

This article offers a retrospective analysis of discussions on citizenship, exploring the role of (in)visible difference, affect, and resistance. In group discussions with Norwegian youth, we found that positionality played a central role in framing understandings of citizenship, belonging, and discrimination. As white researchers who also experience (in)visible differences, we reflect on the students’ explicit discussions of difference, as well as their reactions to our implicit and explicitly acknowledged difference. Additional reflections are put forth on leveraging invisible difference to create space for an inclusive understanding of citizenship, resisting ideas of ethno-nationalism. This discussion demonstrates the potential which experiences with (in)visible difference have for contributing to more inclusive understandings of citizenship. Further potential implications are that acknowledgement of invisible difference by white majority educators may help to open space for an understanding of difference as a citizenship resource.

Author Biographies

Kerenina K. Dansholm, VID Specialized University

Kerenina Kezaride Dansholm is a lecturer at VID Specialized University. Her research has explored, among other topics, youth perspectives on citizenship discourses as well as environmental issues. Prior to joining academia, she lived in Kenya, Lebanon, and Cyprus, working as a project manager with humanitarian and development NGOs. (kereninakez@gmail.com)

Joshua D. Dickstein, VID Specialized University

Joshua Dickstein is a lecturer at VID Specialized University (VID), with a double masters in psychology (University of Bergen) and migration (EMMIR, University of Stavanger) with a specialisation in intercultural communication. (joshdickstein@gmail.com)

Heidi D. Stokmo, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

Heidi D. Stokmo has a masters in teacher education from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). Her previous experience includes 10 years as a management specialist for refugee settlement in Norway as well as five years in Tanzania as a project coordinator with a local NGO. (heididalina@gmail.com)

Downloads

Published

2024-08-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 3 (2024)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Kerenina K. Dansholm, Joshua K. Dickstein, Heidi D. Stokmo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with Critical Education agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).