The School as a Double-Edged Panopticon—Increased Anxiety and Deflated Islamic Identities: A Child-Centered Perspective on the Trojan Horse Affair.

The Trojan Hose Affair scandal alleged that there was a hardline extremist Islamism plot to take over British state schools in Birmingham. While community groups and government officials battled to take control of the narrative, the pupils who were ultimately at the center of the scandal, were not considered. This paper is based on research conducted in 2015, with students at one of the schools implicated in the Trojan Horse Affair. Through seven one-to-one interviews and a group discussion, the research finds that students portrayed their selves in a state of constant psychological reconciliation due to the heightened mediatization, racialization, and securitization of Islam and Muslims, during and after the Trojan Horse affair. This caused increased levels of anxiety in students, which peaked around the constant surveillance through the gaze of the media, teachers, and Ofsted inspectors, creating a double-edged Panopticon. The paper particularly underscores student concerns for potential social exclusion and discrimination they may experience as a result of the school affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]