“Excluded Participation”: Some Observations of Non‐Reciprocal Interaction in a Danish Fifth Grade Classroom

This article introduces the concept of excluded participation to examine how inclusion and exclusion are negotiated in real time within a Danish fifth‐grade classroom. Using a micro‐sociological framework, particularly the work of Erving Goffman, the study focuses on the case of Anders, a student whose participation is symbolically recognized yet functionally unreciprocated. Through observations and narrative analysis, this study illustrates how Anders' engagement takes on an as‐if quality, sustained through a collective mise‐en‐scène of inclusion that conceals his exclusion. This demonstrates how exclusion can persist in ostensibly inclusive settings, not through overt rejection but through the absence of reciprocal validation. The study thereby highlights the need to account for the micro‐processes of interaction that shape participation in everyday school life as a foundation for developing realistic inclusion policies.