The co-construction of understanding in Danish naturalization interviews

Abstract

This article explores excerpts from Danish naturalization interviews. A naturalization interview is a conversation between a Danish police officer and an applicant for Danish citizenship. During the naturalization interview, the police officer decides whether the applicant fulfils a requirement by law. According to the police officers, the language requirement is fulfilled if applicants are able to understand what is said and make themselves understood. The onus is on the applicant to prove that he or she can do just that. However, this article argues that understanding is something that is co-constructed – the police officer is just as involved in the establishment of understanding as is the applicant. By analysing and comparing how different police officers respond to applicants’ answers – how police officers respond in a sequential third position – it is shown that police officers do in fact play a decisive role in the joint understanding established during the naturalization interviews. The naïve notion that it is possible to test applicants’ abilities to understand by involving applicants in so-called natural conversations with police officers is thus disclosed as – naïve.