Integration by other means: Hindu schools in the Netherlands

In this chapter, the authors assess how well, and by what means, Hindu schools try to accomplish the aims of integration in a vernacular that is predicated on voluntary separation. Though Hindu schools are open to non-Hindu children, their primary aim is to educate children of like cultural and religious background.And, like other schools whose instructional design is religiously specific, Hindu schools have faith-building, identity formation and emancipation among their central aims.We will explore the specific cultural and religious components that are used to form the identities of children, and how these are operationalized as emancipatory practices.In particular, we will examine how these features are conceptualized, developed and connected to learning, and how Hindu schools concretely prepare students to negotiate their place in a society in which they are visible minorities.Further, to the extent possible, we will investigate whether the academic outcomes Hindu schools strive for are bearing fruit.