Different educational programmes focus on the improvement of mutual understanding and the prevention of discrimination or violent conflict by challenging stereotypes, prejudices, etc. The social differences underlying these orientations or discriminative behaviour might be in relation to culture, ethnicity, ‘race’, religion, gender, sexuality or social class. One could argue that the respective educational approaches, e.g. intercultural or multicultural education, share the assumption that social differences, which usually come along with a hierachization, are no entities as such but constructs.

Discussions on how social differences are being “made” have not been restricted to so called collective identities (cf. Anderson 1983). In particular with regard to the differentiation between “sex“ and “gender“ it has been pointed out that the “gender“ of an individual does not exist beyond social interaction (cf. on “doing gender“ Kessler/McKenna 1978). Drawing on this assumption, and due to the similarity of the assumed modes of production, it has been claimed that all fundamental categories of social difference (gender, “race“/ethnicity and class) can be understood as social constructs that only appear natural in interaction – one could paraphrase, there is no social reality beyond interaction (cf. West/Fenstermaker 1995; on „doing difference“ Hörnig 2004). However, Kubisch (2008) points out that this does not explain the relative regularity of interactions and the rigidity of social differences. She argues that one has to take into consideration processes of institutionalisation or habitualisation rather than to focus social interactions only.

The importance of peer-groups for the generation of collective and individual orientations and habitualised practices has been stressed in several studies (cf. Bohnsack 1989; taking into account the importance of youth cultures Pfaff 2006). Peer-groups are either marked by structurally identical biographical experiences, as by a self-conception as a group. Not least this self-conception leads to the generation of common practices (habitualisation). Peer-groups, thus, are the social place of youth-specific formation of experience per se (Bohnsack 1989:11): it is here that adolescents change and develop biographically relevant orientations. Peer-groups are therefore an important field for studies not least on the permanence of social differences and disparity (cf. as a classical example Willis 1979).

My research, thus, focuses on how social differences, in particular gender, race/ethnicity and class, are being represented, attributed and acknowledged in the context of interactions in adolescent peer-groups. I will furthermore try to find out if there are differences between the youth`s statements and their descriptions of their common practices.

My survey will take place in may/june 2010, I hope to be able to present first results in august.

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