Striving for territorial inclusivity: A space-related comparative analysis of inclusive practices of early childhood education and care in Hungary and Germany

Inclusive early childhood education and care is a widely accepted policy goal internationally, aiming to fulfil the needs of all children. However, inclusive policies and practices are highly contextual, with their conceptualization and application depending on national, regional and local environments. This comparative case study explores how the actors in two inclusive early childhood education and care practices located in underprivileged environments (the Bildungshaus Lurup in Hamburg, Germany, and the Inclusive Kindergartens project in Budapest, Hungary) relate to their socio-material environments and strive to shape the power geometries that run through them. The theoretical framework of the study is based on critical conceptions of social space and the related notions of territory and territorialization, which helps grasp the interlinked political, social, material and symbolic dimensions of the spaces under study. The authors’ analysis of qualitative data identified two categories of socio-spatial practices aiming at ‘territorial inclusivity’ in both cases: practices of territorial control (creating new territories of political action by building new alliances and imaginaries) and practices of social-space rearrangement (challenging power structures by reworking reputation and attracting the middle class). The comparison shows that despite their different national contexts and alternative tools and priorities, both projects challenged non-inclusive policy environments, targeted the whole sociopolitical structure of their territory (not only individual families) and exercised symbolic power to tackle the hierarchies embedded in their environments. Based on the analysis, the authors argue for further socio-spatial inquiry into how local inclusive practices relate to and navigate their complex environments and the challenges posed by them.