Sweden has developed an international reputation as a progressive haven, promoting socioeconomic equality through its extensive welfare state. However, non-white and non-European migrants have disrupted the long-assumed homogeneity of the Swedish nation-state, which did not originally include racial and ethnic minorities under its provisions for egalitarianism. Drawing from six remote interviews with migrants and native Swedes, I argue that Sweden’s imagined national identity contradicts the lived experiences of migrants within the Swedish welfare state, who are given differential access to welfare benefits depending on their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities. Though migrants, who frequently maintain transnational ties to several countries, groups, and cultures, display significant agency over decisions about “integrating” and redefining their personal identities, they are nonetheless constrained by the structural discrimination within the nation-state system. Firstly, the process of gaining entry to Sweden’s borders and acquiring permanent residence and/or citizenship varies greatly according to one’s national origin and ethnic background. Secondly, cultural expectations for skilled, specialized labor participation and Swedish language proficiency present significant challenges for non-European migrants with disparate backgrounds. Finally, racism and xenophobia remain prevalent despite popular images of Swedish culture as highly tolerant; I employ the term “the spatial deflection of intolerance” to explain how native Swedes may justify this contradiction by attributing the most explicit forms of intolerance to distant people and places, which are deemed antithetical to Swedish values. I conclude that the modern-day construction of the Swedish nation-state is still closely linked to historically conservative ideas about race and ethnicity, and if Swedes wish to uphold their progressive national identity, they should offer stronger protections for the marginalized migrant population.
Abrams, Paul B.,
"Imagining Integration: Migrant Experiences within the Swedish Welfare State"
(2021).
Anthropology Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/9kez-6n46
