Page 144 - White Lives The Interplay of 'Race', Class, and Gender in Everyday Life

In search of a ‘good mix’ 137
positions depended on the nature of the school. For several of the mothers,
the key issue was to ensure that their child’s school had the right ‘mix’.
Racialised and classed ‘others’ posed potential threats to the children that
were largely unspecified.
Difference was on the one hand desired, but it also needed to be re-
strained. The ‘mix’ must be ‘good’ and not ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’. The
suggestion here was that, while some cultural difference offered enlivenment
and enrichment to children’s lives, there still needed to be ‘enough’ (or a
majority) of the classed and racialised norm to ensure its reproduction in
children. It would seem that the women were conscious that the security
and stability of the white middle-class norm requires constant repetition and
recitation in order for it to be ensured for their children.