Understandings of 'difference' in the speech of teachers dealing with refugee children in Hungary

This article investigates the connections between variations in understandings of multiculturalism and the education of refugee children in Hungary. It presents qualitative empirical material in order to provide an answer to how 'difference' is typically understood in public schools in Hungary today. It also outlines the specific features this understanding takes in the education of refugee children. The analysis is limited to the variety of school conflicts that arise due to the presence of refugee children, and an analysis of the pedagogical mechanisms chosen to handle these conflicts. In our view, the typical pedagogical narratives that appear in the strategies used to handle conflicts (that is, the interpretation of strategies applied) not only serve as a contribution to the empirical study of the education of refugee children, but also say a lot about the practices of handling 'difference' in Hungary.