Equality, Citizenship, and Segregation ― A Defense of Separation

In this provocative and original study, Merry argues that most voluntary separation experiments in education are not driven by a sense of racial, cultural or religious superiority; that would indeed be a type of separation with disturbing moral significance. Rather, they are driven by a desire for quality education, community membership, and self-respect. Hence, voluntary separation is not an argument against integration; rather, it is a response to the daily experience of frustration and disappointment with a system that has failed members of marginalized groups for too long. Accordingly, voluntary separation represents an alternative attempt to provide a quality education, and this often begins with the aim to fortify the fragile identities and limited opportunities of some children, who, under conditions of involuntary segregation are far more likely to experience stigma, discrimination or exclusion.

Michael Merry is Professor of Philosophy of Education and Chair of Department of History and Philosophy, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.