Between asset and deficit, a proxy to race and existing in the other: pre-service teachers’ perspectives on diversity

'Diversity' is a common word in the vocabulary of institutions of education today. The word tends to be used as a broad term encompassing various social and cultural aspects of one's identity, such as language, religion, race, ethnicity, (dis)ability, sex, and gender, among others. Yet, in teacher education, diversity continues to be used as a label for the Other and for one-dimensional, discrete views of culture and language. One way to engage with diversity critically in teacher education is by employing intersectionality as a framework, which contributes to a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of diversity. In this article, we draw on a thematic analysis of interviews with ten pre-service teachers to examine their perspectives on and experiences with diversity in teacher education in Norway. Our analysis demonstrates that understandings of diversity tend to evoke more surface-level, one-dimensional representations, stressing discrete identity elements and lacking an intersectional perspective. Furthermore, our analysis illustrates instances in which diversity is seen from a deficit perspective or a problem to be managed and neutralised. We conclude the article with a call for more critical engagements with diversity in teacher education.