ABSTRACT
In looking at equality and diversity work in Swedish schools, this chapter gives a deeper understanding of the processes that locate ideals and organizational goals of equality in a peripheral position in schools’ everyday lives. Based on interviews with staff at four schools in different parts of Sweden it is studied how equality is perceived, enacted and how this effects changes and reproductions of inequality. By constructing equality issues as a number of separate problems that can be measured and solved relatively easily (e.g. by having a good plan, or dealing with reported incidents of harassment) wider implications of equality work, such as power and privilege are not taken into consideration. The focus on inequality as something taking place elsewhere (in locker rooms, school hallways) or in other organizational settings (special theme days, special working groups of staff) tends to make issues of equality peripheral to the everyday educational practice of teaching. Responsibility tends to be placed on individual teachers and school principals, who have difficulties finding the time to think outside the boxes they are expected to tick for school audit purposes. The political possibilities of social objectives on a policy level tend to be downplayed or non-performed.
