Parental and institutional strategies of (de-)thematization of racism in daycare centers

This article analyzes the manifestation of institutional racism within daycare centers. It draws on findings from the qualitative study "Institutional Racism in Daycare Centers" conducted at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) in 2020/2021 and discusses (de-)thematization strategies concerning racism that illustrate how racism is structurally embedded in these settings. For that the article explores parental intervention strategies for dealing with experiences of racism, as well as institutional responses to such interventions. The analysis reveals how these strategies are intricately intertwined, thereby contributing to the perpetuation of institutional racism. The article provides deep insights into the complexity and persistence of discrimination mechanisms within early childhood education environments.

doi: 10.17899/on_ed.2025.21.7 Open Access