Understanding teachers’ engagement with racism: A narrative study from Norway

This article examines how primary school teachers in Norway narrate their responsibilities, constraints, and emotions in relation to racism. Based on interviews with 17 teachers across nine schools, this study uses narrative inquiry to explore how teachers position themselves within professional norms, affective climates, and institutional structures. The framework combines narrative inquiry, racial consciousness as a continuum, norm-critical pedagogy, and affect theory. The analysis shows that teachers’ engagement with racism depends less on personal conviction than on what is made legitimate, emotionally sustainable, and professionally acceptable, highlighting how institutional and affective conditions shape everyday possibilities for antiracism in schools. • Teachers' narratives illustrate how racism is managed, silenced, and felt in schools. • Institutional and emotional climates shape how teachers make sense of racism. • Emotional discomfort signals the structural tensions surrounding racism. • Teachers need collective and structural support for sustained antiracist work.