Drawing on empirical material from fieldwork among young children living with their families in two Norwegian reception centres for asylum-seekers, this article compares their realities to the norms and realities for other children in Norway. Children’s spatial and social situations within the centres stand out in stark contrast to Norwegian childhood ideology and norms. The authorities explain the divergence in terms of migration management, and the spatiotemporal and social positions of ‘asylum-seekers’ in relation to those of ‘children’ within the nation-state are brought to the fore in the article. The perceived political dilemma between migration control and Norway’s image as a promoter of children’s rights is highlighted, and the authors suggest that the dilemma may be less real than is widely assumed.
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