This symposium is under the overarching theme of minority/minoritised teachers and the second of two symposia in series. As described in the introductory text for the first symposium, the theme of minority/ minoritised teachers addresses a research area that has been underemphasised in the European scientific discourse so far, but has recently gained momentum, while it has been part of scientific discussions in the Anglo-American context for some decades. Simultaneously, it is highly relevant, for instance when investigated from an angle of social justice, shedding light on institutional structures and dynamics that favour some and discriminate others, not only among students, but also among teachers.

While the first symposium discusses the thematic field in a relatively broad sense, this second one aims at zooming in on the question of the roles minority/ minoritised teachers are expected to take on within their particular institutional contexts. Roles imply positionalities (e.g. Goffman, 1973; Helsper, 2008) and are part of an institutional self-conception: Some roles are more powerful, others are powerfully ascribed, some receive full recognition, others are connected to a latent struggle for recognition. Therefore, understanding the role ascription dynamics more deeply, provides insight on how institutions reproduce their ‘institutional habitus’ (Byrd, 2019, referring to Bourdieu) or ‘school culture’ (e.g. Helsper, 2008), including hierarchical structures of recognition.

One of the role expectations that has often been mentioned in previous studies, is the role of the mediator, sometimes referred to as the ‘bridge-builder’ or the ‘special ambassador’ for a particular group, referring, for instance, to a specific ethnicity or religion. It seems that the boundaries that are being institutionally created are expected to be overcome by the very teachers who are themselves affected most by these boundaries. Additionally, it seems that those in powerful and recognised positions tend to delegate challenges that need to be ‘bridged’ to others – preferably minority/ minoritised teachers – rather than understanding these challenges as a responsibility for the development of the institutional framework as a whole. Simultaneously, it seems that minority teachers can play a crucial role within these institutional dynamics, even more so if they experience full recognition for their contribution.

But what empirical evidence do we have for these assumptions? How are such expectations experienced by the minority/ minoritised teachers? What are the divides and tensions they are expected to bridge? And what are the resources they draw on to make their mediation beneficial? How do they balance different expectations? How effective are they in their contribution? What are the challenges and constraints they have to deal with and how do they deal with them?

In this symposium, we aim to focus on this bundle of questions, as empirical findings and insights in this regard mirror implicit institutional logics that need to be understood more thoroughly.

byrd, d. (2019). Uncovering Hegemony in Higher Education: A Critical Appraisal of the Use of “Institutional Habitus” in Empirical Scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 89(2), 171-210. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318812915 Goffman, E. (1973). Interaktion. Spass am Spiel. Rollendistanz. Piper. Helsper, W. (2008). Schulkulturen - die Schule als symbolische Sinnordnung. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 54(1), 63-80.