The self who meets the other: hospitality, self-Determination, and black refugee students in Manitoba

Abstract

The large number of refugees received in Canada every year and the government’s claims to be supportive to “cultural diversity” do not necessarily mean that Black refugee students feel welcome in their schools. Despite the pervasiveness of racism registered in the literature, the paucity of research focused on the intersectional identity of this particular group of students raises several concerns, especially in light of the white savior myth that is embedded in a white society like Canada. Thus, the main question this research sought to answer was: How do Black refugee students conceptualize hospitality in education? Based on the philosophical construct of the ethic of hospitality (Derrida, 2000a, 2000b; Ruitenberg, 2016), the psychological theory of self-determination (Deci & Ryan, 1985), and the tenets of critical race theory (Bell, 1979/1995; Crenshaw, 1989; Crenshaw et al., 1995; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017; Harris, 1995; Lawrence, 1987/1995), this case study of Manitoba education was designed having individual interviews with Black refugee students, a critical analysis of selected provincial curriculum documents, and a research journal kept throughout the study as its main data sources. Findings reveal how students’ need of autonomy, relatedness, and competency were often threatened by racist (in)actions of teachers and classmates, thus impinging on their experiences of hospitality. The lack of clear and critical conceptualizations about terms such as “welcome” and the deafening silence on matters about race/racism across provincial documents indicate both gaps and obstacles to an education that is genuinely welcoming. Furthermore, especially through the research journal, this study revealed the multifaceted ethical complexities experienced by a white researcher seeking to conduct anti-oppressive research in a foreign land—it revealed the aporia of hospitality. Recommendations for teachers, educational leaders, and researchers are discussed, with the continuous process of self-reflexivity and dismantling white structures as a central concern.