Voices of resilience: Somali mothers and their daughters’ experiences of marginalisation in UK schools

This article explores school-based experiences from the perspective of Somali heritage mothers and their daughters living in Bristol and Cardiff. It considers their experiences in relation to their intersectional identity as Transnational, Black, Muslim females from refugee and second-generation immigrant backgrounds.The research originated from a doctoral thesis on narratives of wellbeing. This paper, however, captures important stories that shed light on the often-overlooked lived experiences of Somali mothers and daughters navigating school systems. It seeks to broaden understanding of intersectional identities in the context of race, religion and gender to promote anti-racist and culturally responsive practice in Education. Method: Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted in mother and daughter pairs; this method allowed the researcher to gain rich insights into their lived experience. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.This paper is based on the exploration of one key theme from the doctoral thesis. It explores mothers’ and daughters’ experiences of marginalisation in UK school settings, which include fraught home-school relationships, racialised stereotyping, Islamophobia, cultural misunderstanding, and othering.Transferability is a consideration point as this research places emphasis on one community group; Transnational Muslim females of Somali heritage.