%0 Journal Article
%T The Terms of Ethnoracial Equality:  Swedish Courts¡¯ Reading of Ethnic Affiliation, Race and Culture
%A Leila Br£¿nnstr£¿m
%J Social & Legal Studies
%@ 1461-7390
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0964663917722827
%X This article initially accounts for the discussions concerning the notions ¡®ethnic origin¡¯ and ¡®race¡¯ that have taken place in the Swedish legislative context and places these within a wider European context. Next follows a mapping of the ways in which Swedish courts, in cases of alleged ethnic discrimination, read the notion of ¡®ethnic affiliation¡¯ ¨C defined as ¡®national or ethnic origin, skin colour, or other similar circumstance¡¯ ¨C and decide whether a statement or an act is related to it. The purpose, to borrow Michel Foucault¡¯s words, is to ¡®make visible precisely what is visible¡¯. By bringing together, arranging and connecting what the courts have said about ¡®ethnic affiliation¡¯, the conclusions they have reached and the circumstances that they have ignored, three observations are made: (a) ethnic affiliation is treated as an authentic and stable personal individual attribute, (b) ethnic affiliation is seen as a question about body types and bloodlines solely and (c) discriminatory acts are connected to ¡®ethnic affiliation¡¯ only if related to visual appearance or accompanied by ¡®incriminating words¡¯. The article discusses and analyzes the significance and implications of these observations in engagement with theorists such as Barnor Hesse and David Theo Goldberg
%K Barnor Hesse
%K culture
%K David Theo Goldberg
%K discrimination adjudication
%K ethnic discrimination
%K ethnic origin
%K European critical race theory
%K race
%K Sweden
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0964663917722827