La mediación intercultural en contextos escolares: reflexiones acerca de una etnografía escolar

Authors

Mónica Ortiz CoboSalto de línea Laboratorio de Estudios Interculturales Departamento de Antropología. Universidad de Granada.

Abstract

Intercultural mediation in school contexts: reflections on a school ethnography studySalto de línea Salto de línea The school mediator is a new figure in primary and secondary educational establishments that has appeared to give an answer to Spain's new socio-cultural needs. The theoretical debate on the concept of mediation is tackled and two models in school contexts are described: school mediation and intercultural school mediation. Preventive and formative tasks are the two key tasks of the former. The latter has focused on the solution of intercultural conflicts. This work presents an ethnographic study on intercultural mediation carried out in primary and secondary educational establishments in the province of Almería. The sample included eight mediators, eight primary education form teachers, thirteen headteachers from primary education establishments and three headteachers from secondary education establishments. The methods followed included in-depth interviewing, participant observation and questionnaires. The tasks of the intercultural mediator in different educational contexts and his/her perceptions of the profession itself were analysed. Some of the most important conclusions show that the solution of conflicts is the key task of this kind of mediation, whereas prevention is pushed into the background. Far from a view that includes the entire educational community, the specificity of intercultural mediation might aggravate cultural differences instead of being an avenue for integration. If the concept of intercultural were understood in a broad sense, the mediator might be a professional that would revitalize the relationship among the different school agents.

Keywords

Intercultural mediation, immigration, school ethnography, school contexts, Almeria.