To Be and Not to Be: Students’ Negotiations of School Categorizations

The Swedish school system has a division and distinction between the two Swedish subjects Swedish and Swedish as a second language, which result in separation of students categorized as Swedish as a second language students. They are supposedly equal, and students are either enrolled in one or the other subject. This chapter addresses how this division between the Swedish subjects results in a categorization and positioning of students as Swedish as a second language students, while the other students participating in Swedish are considered as the norm. In this chapter I explore how students position themselves in relation to the category Swedish as a second language student, as well as how they negotiate its meaning and content.