‘Everyone I interviewed describes feeling different from those around them. It might be because of their skin colour, their name or their cultural background. And this is despite the fact that they were born or grew up in Norway,’
Says Mamona Mumtaz Trondsen, former master’s student in psychosocial health at the University of Agder (UiA).
She has examined how young people aged 18 to 25 experience belonging and identity after completing Flexid, an awareness course for people growing up with more than one culture.
The course is run in several places across Norway. In Kristiansand, one provider is the Youth Service at Kristiansand Municipality, where Mumtaz Trondsen works as a Flexid course leader.
- Mamona Mumtaz Trondsen is one of four students awarded a master’s scholarship by the UiA Centre for Gender Equality for the 2025–2026 academic year.
- She completed her master’s degree in psychosocial health at UiA with a thesis titled ‘Identity development and belonging among young people with cross-cultural backgrounds: a study of former participants in the Flexid awareness course’.
- Flexid stands for ‘flexible identity – my opportunities with multiple cultures’.
Everyday racism
The study’s participants describe racism, microaggressions and discrimination at school, at work and in everyday life.
‘They are categorised, excluded or treated as “different” because of their background. These aren’t isolated incidents. It happens again and again,’ she says.
They also describe being pigeonholed and left out, and being treated as though they don’t quite belong.
‘Several of them feel they exist in a space between two or more cultures,’ she says.
Mumtaz Trondsen believes that the young people’s experiences can’t be understood in isolation from the society they are part of.
‘When young people are repeatedly categorised, excluded or treated differently, it isn’t just about the attitudes of individuals. We also need to look at how society helps to create exclusion, and what consequences this can have for young people’s sense of self, sense of belonging and psychosocial health,’ she says.
What are microaggressions?
Microaggressions are small words and actions that remind you that other people see you as different. They signal that you don’t really belong. For many people, this is part of everyday life.
Many people experience small, demeaning incidents every day because they are seen as members of a marginalised group, for example on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. Microaggressions can be comments, but they can also be looks, body language, being ignored, being offered help you haven’t asked for, or receiving excessive praise.
Source: rasismeveileder.no
Cultural codes
Even so, the young people show considerable resilience and agency. They cope with these pressures in different ways: by distancing themselves emotionally, by playing things down, by switching between cultural codes and by seeking support from the people around them.
‘They find ways of coping with a difficult situation in life. At the same time, we need to see that coping in the context of the conditions they live under, because many of the challenges stem from the way society is organised,’ she says.
Language is also an important marker of identity, and it can create both belonging and distance. Many of the young people in the study say they move easily between languages and cultural codes. At the same time, several of them carry a heavy burden of responsibility at home.
‘Several describe taking on a great deal of responsibility within the family, particularly by acting as interpreters and through the expectations placed on them,’ she says.
Mumtaz Trondsen stresses that living between two cultures is not only a burden.
‘Growing up with several cultures can be both challenging and enriching. The young people describe being able to navigate between different languages, norms and expectations. At the same time, they want to define their own identity without having to give up parts of who they are.’
An important space
For the young people in the study, Flexid has been a particularly important space for community and recognition. They describe how much it means to meet others like themselves, and how it makes them feel less alone.
‘The course helps them put their own experiences into words. It gives them a better understanding of themselves and a stronger sense of belonging. At Flexid, they feel that their experiences are taken seriously and shared with others, without having to explain themselves.’
Mumtaz Trondsen hopes the findings will be put to use in schools, in health and social services, and by everyone who works with young people, integration and equality.
‘I hope the study can contribute to a better understanding of how identity and belonging are shaped through our encounters with the world around us.
‘We need to get better at listening to young people’s own experiences and acknowledging that they can belong in several places at once. But the responsibility for dealing with exclusion can’t rest on young people alone. We also need to tackle the barriers that create it.’