Deconstructing Diversity: An ethnographic analysis of cultural differences in an international school in Sweden

Abstract: This thesis aims to deconstruct the manner in which cultural differences are perceived and dealt with in international and multicultural school in Sweden by combining postcolonial and poststructuralist theories. Applying Bhabha’s theoretical turn from cultural diversity to cultural differences, ethnographic methods were used to examine parents’ and staff member’s relationship with these differences in the school. Using a Deleuzean understanding of difference, this thesis demonstrates how individuals in the school are simultaneously different and similar in terms of cultural differences. However, a disavowal of cultural differences comes to the fore when observing management’s desire of unification under a globally transferable framework. The result of this perspective is that Others are framed as cultural and different, while management conceals their partiality by advocating for universal values. This act establishes and sustains a cultural hegemony that is upheld by management’s position of cultural authority, resulting in the oppression of non-conforming Others and essentialized views of cultures. The significance of this thesis’s findings is demonstrating the importance within global education of understanding the ambivalent differences that are intrinsic to issues of identity and cultures.