Addressing Prejudice in Our Multi-Cultural Schools Through Literature: Teaching Robert Swindells’s "Ruby Tanya" with Intercultural Pedagogy

Abstract

Sweden has developed from a mono-cultural country to a multi-cultural country during the last fifty years. People from all over the world coexist in Sweden, which results in prejudice and discrimination, not least in schools. The only way prejudice and discrimination can be prevented is through knowledge and education. Teachers and leaders in school are responsible to enlighten students about the many cultures, identities, and religions that live in Sweden and to provide a safe environment without discrimination. The aim of this study is therefore to show how tolerance can be taught in school through literature in the subject of English for upper secondary school when used with the pedagogical theory called intercultural pedagogy. The thesis statement for this project is that Robert Swindells's novel "Ruby Tanya" is valuable when addressing prejudice in school. "Ruby Tanya" is a novel that deals with prejudice and discrimination in an obvious manner and also illustrates how severe the consequences of prejudice are. Moreover, there are many other reasons for using literature in the classroom, the students' reading, writing, speaking and listening abilities are improved through literature and they can develop cultural enrichment and critical reading, both relevant tools when learning to coexist in a multi-cultural society.