Broar, länkar, gränser. Kultur, makt och marginalisering i diskursen om linkworkers/brobyggare
Abstract:The aim of this study is to critically analyse the discourse of linkworkers, a integration project in a ?multicultural? school in Malmö. In the project, four persons with different ethnic / cultural background where employed to work as a link between the school and the parents, and between the Swedish culture and the children's and the parent's ?original? culture. My material consists of evaluations of the project and interviews with school staff. I use Laclau and Mouffe's theory of language and power to show that when differences are conceptualised as a question of ?culture? power relations between ?us? and ?them? might be obscured. Following Nancy Fraser I argue that linkworkers can be understood as an affirmative rather than a transformative measure to deal with inequalities. I make the point that ?differences? must be understood as a question of status and inequalities rather than cultural differences.