This essay is written in order to expose the construction of collective identity in textbooks for Swedish as a second language. To help visualize the process that shapes and categorize sub-jects based on a relational identity formation I assume mostly from Ernesto Laclau and Chan-tal Mouffe's discourse analysis theory frame. The paper called it as discourse theory. There are two textbooks in Swedish as a second language to be studied. Based on the textual materi-al found in the textbooks I perform a discourse analysis involving mainly focus on relational identity construction. The method is thus discourse analysis, and based on discourse theory the textbooks discourses are being discussed with focus on how a Swedish identity are fixed on some important linguistic elements. The main question is thus based on what characters and social behavior that are attached to the linguistic character Sweden. What I mainly draw as a conclusion is that Sweden is linked to laws, rights, equality and religious freedom. These attributions to the sign Sweden is constructed by its distinctions. The Swedish subject position is then embedded in Sweden with institutional support.

I also study how a Swedish subject position is constructed and which characters attached to the subject creates a Swedish identity. In order to be appealed by a Swedish subject position you must meet certain criteria, the textbooks discourse design a chain of meanings, consisting of ethnicity, patterns of behavior and collective values attached to Swedish names.