Mødet mellem etniske minoriteter og sygeplejersker

This article is based on a research project that took place in the spring of 2003. The interaction between ethnic minorities and nurses was described based on articles from 2001 and 2002 in the Danish Nurses Organization journal ´Sygeplejersken`. Focus was to investigate, if and how culture and religion were used as explanation and how the notion of racism was constructed. The project is based on a discourse analysis inspired by Potter & Wetherell, the founders of discourse psychology. The conclusion: In the articles as well as in the media discourse with ethnic minorities was considered problematic for the Danish community. The culture of ethnic minorities is often understood as a Muslim culture. A culture which is very different from the culture of the majority of Danes. Therefore the interaction becomes quite difficult, especially when nurses try to inform and guide concerning health and disease. Two discourses of racism which have different consequences for the treatment of ethnic minorities were found in the articles. Finally it is recommended that new courses for nurses will focus on developing double discursive competences instead of intercultural competence.