An exploration of the evolution of children's cultural identity in a post conflict society

This study seeks to understand the socio-ecological factors that influence how a child in a post-conflict society builds their sense of cultural identity. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979) (EST), this includes viewing the child through a variety of lenses, such as their immediate family, their school, class teacher, local community and socio-economic deprivation. Previous research (Connolly et al., 2002 and Taylor et al., 2021) explores preferences for symbols and emblems, whilst this study explores how this sense of cultural identity may have changed for children in NI in today’s context. The change in demography, specifically the growing influx of families from ethnic minorities in NI and increasing cultural diversity across the province may have some impact on children from more traditional cultures; this study seeks to understand if this affects a child’s sense of identity at all and if so, in what ways.

Additionally, this study seeks to understand the place social cohesion and peacebuilding currently has in the Primary Curriculum for children, how it is implemented in the classroom and across the whole school. The research questions if the current curriculum for peace building is fit for purpose and how teacher bias/background influences this, if at all.

The study interviews parents, teachers and children across school management type and areas of differing socio-economic deprivation. Free School Meal Entitlement (FSME) and the Multiple Depravation Measure (MDM) (NISRA, 2017) define deprivation. Capacity building sessions are implemented with children over three weeks before completing a focus group on who they are, their cultural identity and what that means to them.

Currently, data has been collected in four primary schools, one maintained, two controlled and one integrated. Two schools are in urban areas of socio-economic deprivation and have a high FSME. Two are located in more affluent, suburban areas. 8 teachers, 4 parents and 27 children have been interviewed thus far. The capacity building sessions are recorded and will be used as data in the form of field notes. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) will be employed to analyse the data.

Preliminary findings suggest that young children (age 7) find identity difficult to conceptualise whilst older children (age 11) have a sense of identity but may or may not connect this with flags or symbols depending on school type. Parents seem to avoid talking about cultural identity with their children, whilst teachers prefer to focus on conflict resolution more generally.