Å gi rom for muslimske barns utprøving av faste i barnehagen

The article investigates the dilemmas that may arise when children’s religious practices conflict with the kindergarten’s routines and values. The researcher discusses whether children’s life stories are given limited space when they conflict with the staff’s understanding of what children’s basic needs are. Children’s approaches to Ramadan and fasting are used as examples of practices that can be perceived as challenging in kindergarten. When children try out fasting, kindergarten staff can experience this as a dilemma between children’s right to express their religion and a necessary nutritional health requirement. The research question is: How can staff accommodate Muslim children when they try out fasting in kindergarten? In conclusion, some alternative ways of accommodating different life stories are proposed, related to cultural and religious diversity in kindergartens. 

The results show that two different views of fasting were dominant in the kindergartens. One of them focused on nutrition and sleep, omitting the children’s religious affiliation. The researcher believes that this discourse can be understood as a lack of acceptance regarding children’s religious affiliation, but also as an attempt to show care, because staff are concerned with whether the children’s basic food and sleep requirements are met. In the second discourse, the staff view fasting as a ritual that is important for the children, to which kindergarten routines can be adapted. The struggle between following rules on the one hand and providing the opportunity for participation on the other can be understood as negotiations between employees with different opinions. The researcher believes that it is important that the dialogues between employees, and parents and employees, are based on a common understanding that everyone can accept, despite differing opinions. Based on caring for the child, she claims it is possible to negotiate kindergarten practices that meet the children’s need for belonging to both Islam and the kindergarten, while at the same time meeting basic nutritional and sleep requirements

Based on focus group discussions with kindergarten employees in Norway who are studying to become kindergarten teachers or taking part-time further education, investigations are made into the different ways of understanding kindergarten employees’ attitudes towards children’s religious practices, and how these have an impact on children’s opportunities to highlight their own life stories. The students were selected because they showed a special interest in linguistic, cultural or religious diversity in kindergartens. The sample consisted of a total of eight students; two men and three women with minority backgrounds, and three women with majority backgrounds. Three of the participants were practicing Muslims. All of them worked in different kindergartens where the element of linguistic, religious and cultural diversity among the children was great.

Giæver, K. (2019). «Å gi rom for muslimske barns utprøving av faste i barnehagen». Prismet, 70(4):311-326.