Jag längtar efter svensk kvalitet och svenskt tänkande. Hur vi använder kategoriseringar i samtalet.

Using examples from authentic Swedish and Czech everyday conversation, we show how absent ethnic groups are categorised. In sequences where people or groups are attributed an ethnic identity, the speakers usually start by introducing a positive "we"-concept, which is then contrasted against the negative "they"-concept. Our main question in this analysis is: How can you speak about ethnic groups so that your partners do not perceive it as stereotypic? We present a number of communicative means for ethnic categorisation: modification, positive embedding of negative statements, weakening, retreats, indirect categorisation, objectification of negative properties, quoting etc. We summerise by giving a set of thumb rules for the partners in conversations about absent ethnic groups.