Ways of Belonging: Undocumented Youth in the Shadow of Illegality

Ways of Belonging explores the experiences of undocumented young people in Canada who are excluded from K–12 schools and rendered invisible to the education system. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, Francesca Meloni shows how ambivalence shapes their lives and reveals the opacities and failures of the system that excludes them.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Ways of Belonging delves into the experiences of undocumented young individuals who are excluded from K–12 schools in Canada, rendering them invisible to the education system. Canadian law lacks explicit recognition of undocumented children, resulting in their access to education being contingent upon discretionary practices and frequently denied altogether. This captivating book vividly brings to life the stories of these undocumented young people, engaging them in conversation with the perspectives of various actors within schools and courts who fail to include them. Drawing upon extensive long-term ethnographic fieldwork, Francesca Meloni intricately explores the complexities of ambivalence that shape the lives of these young individuals caught between the yearning to belong and the impossibility of fully belonging. Meloni pays close attention to their struggles and aspirations, illuminating the profound meaning of belonging and endurance in contexts of social exclusion.

Ways of Belonging unveils the obscurity and shortcomings of a system that excludes children from education, enveloping their lives in invisibility. An interview with the author (https://www.qmul.ac.uk/clpn/news-views/book-interviews/items/interview-with-francesca-meloni-about-her-book-ways-of-belonging-undocumented-youth-in-the-shadow-of-illegality.html) provides further insights into the book's themes and implications.

Weight: 41g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978835498