Identity Options and School Experiences of Mixed-Parentage Youth in Spain: Between Invisibility and Racialization

This paper examines the schooling experiences related to identity and sense of belonging of mixed parentage (binational) children and youth in Catalonia, Spain. Despite the growing reality of multiracial and multiethnic children and youth in the country, their educational experiences remain an under-researched area, as they have generally been subsumed under the experiences of immigrant populations. Using a qualitative approach grounded in semi-structured in-depth interviews, this research explores mixed parentage students' diverse and unequal experiences, considering the influence of both in-school and out-of-school factors. The findings reveal pervasive origin-based stigma despite mixedness, with significant differences between students of mixed parentage whose immigrant parent’s origin is socially and culturally valued, and who tend to be more economically affluent, and those whose immigrant parent’s origin is racialized and who are therefore more stigmatized and discriminated. These results challenge prevailing optimistic narratives about the inclusivity of schools for mixed-parentage students and highlight the role of racialization in shaping their sense of belonging, academic engagement, and overall educational trajectories.