Fostering social harmony through ethnic socialization among primary school children: A case study of an urban primary school in Kurunegala administrative district, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a religiously, ethnically, and linguistically diverse country, which has been through identity-based crisis and political rivalry. Hence, fostering and maintaining social harmony is one of the key challenges the country faces today. It has been known that the socialization agents such as the school, peers, and the family can influence the ethnic-socialization process in various ways, often infusing into school children notions about their ethnic heritage, promoting pride about their ethnicity forming ethnic identity in their minds. In this study, we explored the potential role that a school can play as an agent of ethnic socialization in fostering social harmony. Taking an urban primary school with a multi-ethnic background from Kurunegala administrative district as a case study, the nature of ethnic socialization efforts adopted by the school for fostering social harmony among primary school children was examined with a holistic qualitative approach. Data were primarily collected through open-ended interviews and focus group discussions with students and teachers and were analyzed through the thematic analysis method. Findings revealed that the school adopted diverse practices such as ceremonial performance of multi-religious and multi-cultural events aiming at promoting social harmony. Nevertheless, the primary focus of the school was found to be on conducting such cultural events just to please authorities rather than with a determination to promote social harmony. Parent-driven ethnic socialization found to have more impact on young children. A combination of school and parents-driven ethnic socialization program would positively affect the process of fostering social harmony.