Emitted and omitted discourses on diversity – time to admit privilege, race and power?

Abstract

Discourses on diversity in education have great importance for socially just educational practices. This article examines Norwegian teachers’ reflections and language use on diversity, applying Critical Discourse Analysis [CDA]. The analysis indicates that some aspects of diversity are emitted while others are omitted, through two discourses. In the Adapted Education Discourse, diversity is connected to an individual level and aspects directly connected to learning. On the other hand, the Majority–Minority discourse is largely omitted from the material. Teachers seem to avoid and omit diversity categories connected to ethnicity and race. The discussion points to the possibilities of a socially just education system by dismantling privilege, race, and power.