Absent identities of Icelandic born students of immigrant background

Icelandic-born students of immigrant background (IBSIB) are often absent in policy discourse and discussions in the wider society. IBSIB are defined in this study as persons born in Iceland who have one or both immigrant parents.

This paper reports findings from two research projects. The aim of both studies was to gain knowledge about how IBSIB express their identities through the use of their language repertoires. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews with youth aged 10 to 16.

The study is grounded in intersectional theory and linguistic capital theory that is a form of Bourdieu's cultural capital theory (CPT). Intersectional theory recognizes multiple and flexible identities emerging from the various dimensions of people's life experiences, events, and conditions of social and political life. CPT encompasses the languages and experience that are passed on intergenerationally as a foundation for potential success.

The findings indicate that IBSIB possessed a wealth of linguistic and cultural knowledge and actively applied them in their daily lives to negotiate their identities. However, they rarely used this wealth of knowledge to negotiate their identities or to facilitate their learning in school.