Een sociometrisch onderzoek naar de etnische factor bij de keuze van klasgenoten op enkele scholen in Suriname

Samenvatting

After the emancipation of slaves in Surinam in 1863, it was the policy of the Dutch government to try to assimilate the people into Dutch culture, for which purpose universal education was begun in 1876. The Hindustanis, who immigrated later, were less a part of this assimilation process, and are thus generally lower in status than the creoles. To investigate the level of antagonism between these 2 groups in the educational system, a study was made of the choices of children in certain schools as to whom they would or would not like to sit next to on a bus (the friendship criterion), and with whom they would or would not like to do a class project (the cooperation criterion). In the uc elementary school, children tended to select friends from their own ethnic groups, although this was less the case for girls. In the lc elementary school ethnic prejudice was evident only in the upper grades. In the secondary school, the choices were made along definite ethnic lines, except in the case of creole girls. Clearly, racial stereotypes are acquired as the child grows older. In all cases, sex played a more important role in the choice of friends than ethnicity. 2 tables, 1 figure. P. Tiersma.