Det er din kultur, der er problemet! - Roskilde Universitet

ResumeIn this extended essay I apply Norman Faircloughs Critical DiscourseAnalysis as a method to investigate how the terms ‘integration’ and‘culture’ are constructed and interpreted by Dansk Folkeparti (DF) in fourpolitical texts. In this context, I intend to show how discourse contributesto the construction of social identities and relationships. The socialidentities include ‘visible minorities’ and ‘ethnic Danes’ (among these DF).My research results reveal that DF represents the term ‘culture’ asan explanation for behaviour. This specific interpretation of ‘culture’reflects racist thoughts. A racist would classify human beings by theirgenes and would also be convinced that genes determine specificbehaviour. Furthermore DF constructs the term ‘culture’ as a ‘problem’.This means that assimilation is the only solution to the ‘problem’.My research also showed that DF constructs ‘visible minorities’ as aseparate group from ‘ethnic Danes’. Both ‘groups’ have specific culturalcharacteristics that are constructed as incompatible with each other. Thisresults in a reproduction of two binary opposites, ‘us’ and ‘them’, whichautomatically create an asymmetric relationship between the majorityand the minority.My research also revealed that nationalistic elements arereproduced quietly. Michael Billig defines the reproduction as banalnationalism. The nationality is constantly emphasized by small words like“we”, “they” and “Danish”. Furthermore DF tries to create nationalsolidarity between ‘ethnic Danes’, but as Benedict Anderson has expressedwith his path-breaking statement - the ‘nation’ is nothing more than a‘imagined community’.117