REACT

The research-action project REACT (Research-Action against Antigypsyism and Anti-Muslim Discrimination: An Intersectional Approach to Deconstruct Institutional Racism in Schools) addresses the links between institutional racism in schools and educational inequalities. We know that there are alarming differences between native origin and minority students in terms of educational failure, but little of the underlying causes behind this worrying reality. REACT inquires whether experiences of racist attitudes and unconscious biases affect the motivation of minority youth in secondary compulsory education who identify as Roma or Muslim to continue their academic studies, with the aim to deconstruct prejudices and support initiatives to promote belonging and inclusion in the school environment, for instance by creating pilot education material that offers alternative narratives. The project applies an intersectional perspective and considers the importance of gender/gender identity and social class for individual experiences of negative prejudices.

The REACT team is composed of the research group GRITIM-UPF/Pompeu Fabra University as coordinator, and as partners, two locally engaged civil society organizations that work against racism/discrimination and for inclusion with emphasis on the educational sphere: Rromane Sikliovne (Roma students) and OACU (L’Observatori d’Antropologia del Conflicte Urbà). The Barcelona City Council and The Catalan Government’s Department for Equality and Feminism participate as associated partners. The project is implemented in the metropolitan area of Barcelona with the intention to be internationally transferable.

Duration: December 2022-November 2024.