Negative attitudes towards out-groups have been of academic interest for many years — and even more so with the increased levels of migration to European countries in recent years. Building on insights from intergroup contact theory, this paper seeks to extend our knowledge of the association between contact and negative attitudes toward immigrants among youth in Sweden. Multiple regression analysis and fixed effects models are used to analyze a large, high-quality dataset on Swedish adolescents based on representative survey information, complemented with extensive registry data and official statistics. Our objective is to measure contact on different levels in order to better understand the importance of these different contact variables’ associations with negative attitudes. The results of the analysis indicate that high-quality contact in the form of friendship is associated with a reduction in negative attitudes among Swedish adolescents, even after controlling for background variables. Superficial forms of contact — measured on the school level — are, on the other hand, associated with an increase in negative attitudes.

When Nordic Migration Research (NMR) was launched in 2008, there was total agreement among the founding members that one of the primary objectives of the organization was to establish a high-quality, interdisciplinary Nordic journal for research on international migration and migration-related issues in an international and transnational setting. Accordingly, the NMR statutes define the aim of the Nordic Journal for Migration Research (NJMR) as "devoted to publishing high-quality, peer -reviewed research in different aspects of international migration and ethnic relations, such as integration, ethnicity/race, culture, religion, marginalization, citizenship, nationalism, discrimination and racism". The statutes further specify that the NJMR aims to develop into "a forum for both applied and theoretical research, seeking to attract high-quality, original contributions from both Nordic and non-Nordic countries", and that an important part of its mission and raison d'etre would be to focus particularly, although not exclusively, on the areas mentioned above with respect to their relevance to and impact on "the Nordic countries in a global perspective" (Hedetoft & Sicakkan 2011: 1).

This thesis is about newly arrived adult migrants' meaning making and learning in Swedish society during the two years' introduction period, after they have received the residence permit. I have specifically studied Arabic speaking adults' meaning making and learning, by carrying out observations and individual in-depth interviews with 12 migrants. The introduction period consists mainly of three so called introduction measures; the civic orientation course, Swedish for immigrants (SFI), and different work related activities, such as internship at different work places.The results show that etablering is about shaping the newly arrived adult migrants into "good" citizens, through the introduction measures, among other things in the civic orientation course, which is regulated through the policy documents, and which so to say provides meaning to the newly arrived. The "good" citizen has some specific characteristics, which, roughly, are that he or she is independent (and advocates individuality), free, equality thinking, secularized, law-abiding (which includes being honest), responsible, and a "good" parent. These characteristics are expressed in different ways in the civic orientation course, for instance through the course material. The Swedish society is described as something desirable, and different from what is implied to be "Arabic" values and ways of thinking. The idea of the "good" citizen appears to aim at constructing the adult migrants' (and their families') identity, something which many of the study's respondents make a resistance to.As concerns the migrant's new experiences, it is, for example, those which the migrant get through the contact with the Swedish Public Employment Service (SPES) that affect the meaning making in the new society. The meaning which most of the respondents have made of the SPES's measures for them is that this authority only offers "prepackaged" solutions, and does not provide the help or support that they need. Also the experiences which the migrant has in the civic orientation course, and the meaning which "old" migrants give to him or her, play a role when he or she makes meaning of Sweden and Swedes, and of his or her new life situation. Further, it has been shown that it is those experiences that the adult individual has been socialized through, and those which he or she has gained through work or education in his or her country of origin, which affect his or her meaning making in Sweden. It is mostly values which concern child upbringing and religion that lead to a certain understanding and construction of one's new life. These values, when related to the values which are included in the "good" citizen idea, also lead to either a resistance or a readiness towards the meaning giving that is embedded in the "good" citizen notion.

This thesis is about newly arrived adult migrants’ meaning making and learning in Swedish society during the two years’ introduction period, after they have received the residence permit. I have specifically studied Arabic speaking adults’ meaning making and learning, by carrying out observations and individual in-depth interviews with 12 migrants. The introduction period consists mainly of three so called introduction measures; the civic orientation course, Swedish for immigrants (SFI), and different work related activities, such as internship at different work places.

The results show that etablering is about shaping the newly arrived adult migrants into ”good” citizens, through the introduction measures, among other things in the civic orientation course, which is regulated through the policy documents, and which so to say provides meaning to the newly arrived. The “good” citizen has some specific characteristics, which, roughly, are that he or she is independent (and advocates individuality), free, equality thinking, secularized, law-abiding (which includes being honest), responsible, and a “good” parent. These characteristics are expressed in different ways in the civic orientation course, for instance through the course material. The Swedish society is described as something desirable, and different from what is implied to be ”Arabic” values and ways of thinking. The idea of the “good” citizen appears to aim at constructing the adult migrants’ (and their families’) identity, something which many of the study’s respondents make a resistance to.

As concerns the migrant’s new experiences, it is, for example, those which the migrant get through the contact with the Swedish Public Employment Service (SPES) that affect the meaning making in the new society. The meaning which most of the respondents have made of the SPES’s measures for them is that this authority only offers “prepackaged” solutions, and does not provide the help or support that they need. Also the experiences which the migrant has in the civic orientation course, and the meaning which ”old” migrants give to him or her, play a role when he or she makes meaning of Sweden and Swedes, and of his or her new life situation. Further, it has been shown that it is those experiences that the adult individual has been socialized through, and those which he or she has gained through work or education in his or her country of origin, which affect his or her meaning making in Sweden. It is mostly values which concern child upbringing and religion that lead to a certain understanding and construction of one’s new life. These values, when related to the values which are included in the ”good” citizen idea, also lead to either a resistance or a readiness towards the meaning giving that is embedded in the ”good” citizen notion.

This study explores the causes of hate crimes, especially among young people in Malmö,using a qualitative approach. Three young individuals with a personal connection to hatecrime participate in discussions about motivation, views of victims and strategies to combathate crime. Strain theory is used as a theoretical framework to explain how dissatisfaction can lead to deviant behavior, including hate crimes. The results point to negative behavior patterns, nationalist tendencies and intolerance towards religions or ethnicities with areligious connection as contributing factors to hate crimes. The importance of this study is highlighted by the limited amount of research in a Swedish context where perpetrators havebeen interviewed.

This thesis aims to investigate the refugees' experiences when it comes to their participation within the Extra Service job; which is the subsidized job that the Public Employment Service offers to the refugees as part of their integration process. This thesis investigates the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of the refugees involved in the Extra Service jobs based on conducting fifteen semi-structured interviews. The research findings indicate that the Extra Service job had a positive impact on many refugees, as they used their refugees' agency to gain new human capital, however, this thesis suggests that being involved in such a subsidized job could lead to imprisoning the refugees within the low ranked jobs in the labor market. Throughout this thesis, Human Capital Theory, Segmented Dual Labor Market Theory, and the refugees' agency were used as the theoretical background of the thesis. The thesis contributes to understanding the subjective side of integration in addition to enriching the literature of subsidized jobs when they are to be used for the sake of the refugees' integration.

Keywords: Extra Service job, subsidized job, refugee agency, human capital, dual labor market, secondary segment. 

Abstract 

The purpose of the study is to unaccompanied children's experiences of the communal management of transit and asylum accommodation in Malmo looks as well as to what part they feel that their needs are satisfied in the asylum accommodation. The study is accomplished on an asylum accommodation in Malmö. Five unaccompanied children/youth were interviewed for this study.  

The main question is: How do the children experience municipality's handling of their asylum accommodation while awaiting a decision from the Swedish Migration Board regarding their asylum applications? 

The following questions are: 

1. How do the unaccompanied children experience treatment and the receiving from the authorities like the Social Services and the Migration Board? 

1. How does the unaccompanied children understand their being at the accommodation? 

1. What social network (family, residential staff, friends, public officials) are understand as important by unaccompanied children while in transit? 

1. What are the unaccompanied children future plans? 

This study shows a satisfaction about the authorities receiving the unaccompanied children. The method that have been used is interviews. The theories that have been used in the analysing discussion is Bourdieu´s theories about field, habitus and capitals and Maslows need stairway. 

Keywords: unaccompanied children, authorities, asylum accommodations, Malmö.  

The aim behind this study was to observe and understand barriers to access the eHealth system equally. The study was conducted in Stockholm based on qualitative data in which semi- structured interviews were conducted among 15 interviewees from different localities of Stockholm. The findings from the collected data revealed that language barriers, lack of knowledge about digital literacy, unawareness of Swedish healthcare services, psychological and social barriers, safety and privacy concerns, and the lack of an e-identification are all major barriers to accessing the eHealth system. From the data, it has also been observed that the main causes of the aforementioned hurdles are based on varied socioeconomic levels, literacy conditions of an individual, cultural background, and age. Another important observation shows that highly qualified people with limited language abilities have a difficult time using eHealth services. 

Keywords 

Ehealth, Covid-19, nudge approach, digital literacy, linguistic skills, Bank ID, 1177.se, Alltid öppet. 

The purpose of the thesis was to analyse three action films; Collateral Damage from 2002; Clear and Present Danger from 1994; and Scarface from 1983, in order to see how Colombians are represented in these movies.The action genre comprises of different stereotypes where the hero and the villain are represented in conjunction to each other. The analysis is about the way the films content and form are used to uphold the representation of Colombians, but also the villain and the hero more generally.

Critical Discourse Analysis was used, as main method, and the concepts of denotation and connotation guided the analysis. . The main conclusion is that the three movies reproduced an already established collective stereotype of Latin Americans, stereotype that includes both Colombia and Colombians.

This policy brief takes a regional perspective based on a rapid review of the extant literature to cascading climate risks and their links with migration in North Africa. Understanding the climate-migration nexus in the context of North Africa is a cornerstone for taking informed decisions and developing strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change, including potential human mobility.

In 2005, the Swedish Crime Prevention Agency published a report about the link between immigration and crime. Since then, no comprehensive study has been conducted even though Sweden has experienced a large influx of migrants in combination with a rising crime rate. This study conducted by Goran Adamson and Tino Sanandaji is the first purely descriptive scientific investigation on the matter in fifteen years. The investigation (from 2002 to 2017) covers seven distinct categories of crime, and distinguishes between seven regions of origin. Based on 33 per cent of the population (2017), 58 per cent of those suspect for total crime on reasonable grounds are migrants. Regarding murder, manslaughter and attempted murder, the figures are 73 per cent, while the proportion of robbery is 70 per cent. Non-registered migrants are linked to about 13 per cent of total crime. Given the fact that this group is small, crime propensity among non-registered migrants is significant.

This study aims to investigate challenges within the provision of integration support to quota refugees and municipal integration staffs understanding of these challenges in Skåne. It was conducted through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with municipal integration staffs in Skåne. The research findings indicate three key challenges in the reception of quota refugees namely lack adequate housing, lack of financial resources from the region and government, and lack of provision of psychosocial support. Further challenges are connected to the lack of translators available to municipalities in the quota refugees’ mother tongue, the lack of English or major refugee languages among quota refugees, and often poor mental health which slow down Swedish language learning process and affect integration negatively. As its contribution, this study provides a broader view on challenges with the provision of integration support by municipalities regarding reception capacity, housing, and integration programs to quota refugees simultaneously. Thereby, it points out the differences among municipalities in terms of resource allocation for integration, as well as the political will to integrate quota refugees which create unequal chances for integration.

Scholarly findings suggest that immigrants in Western countries, in general, participate less in politics and show lower levels of political efficacy than native-born citizens. Research is scarce, however, when it comes to immigrants´ knowledge about politics and public affairs in their new home country, and what happens with this knowledge over the years. This article focuses on immigrants in Sweden, a country known for ambitious multicultural policies, but where immigrants also face disadvantages in areas such as labor and housing markets. Utilizing particularly suitable survey data we find that immigrants, in general, know less about Swedish politics than natives, but also that this difference disappears with time. Exploring the influence of time of residence on political knowledge, the article shows that the positive effect of time in Sweden among immigrants remains after controlling for an extensive set of background factors. Moreover, the article examines this political learning effect through the lens of an Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) model. The findings suggest that the development of an actual ability to learn about Swedish politics - via education in Sweden, and by improved Swedish language skills - is an especially important explanation for the increase in political knowledge.

This dissertation explores the connections between the group construction of Swedishness, whiteness, and belongingness, exploring how these dynamics shape individuals' experiences of belongingness and non-belongingness. Employing a social-psychological lens, the research investigates the interplay between race and ingroup construction, shedding light on the complexities of Swedish identity within the broader global context. The dissertation comprises of a introduction (Kappa) and three stand alone articles, each contributing to the academic discourse while intersecting in their themes.

The first article utilizes quantitative data to examine the feelings of belongingness among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds in Sweden. Results indicate a positive correlation between national and ethnic identifications, allowing for concurrent membership in various groups without contradiction, yet also suggests an empirical link between being appraised as Swedish and being white. The second article presents qualitative data, revealing that 'Swedishness' is closely tied to whiteness, particularly among white participants who also espoused hesitancy and adversion to the concept of ‘race’. In contrast, non-white participants display a more nuanced perspective on race and racialization. The third article investigates whether majority ethnic in-group and non-majority out-group members perceive and agree upon broad and specific representations of 'Swedishness' through a classic social categorization experiment. Results suggest a prevalence of associating 'Swedishness' with white individuals, despite efforts towards multicultural representation.

Through these investigations, the dissertation provides valuable insights into the construction of Swedish group identity and its implications for both in-group and out-group members. By addressing research gaps and employing diverse methodologies, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of intergroup relations and identity dynamics in contemporary Swedish society.

This audience study explores the changes of news consumption and avoidance behaviour by young millennial immigrants from various backgrounds, living in Stockholm, Sweden. Considering various theoretical frameworks, such as the intentional vs. unintentional model (Skovsgaard & Andersen, 2020), the migration change model (Tabor & Milfont, 2011), as well as a combination of a phenomenology of news model (Bengtsson & Johansson, 2021) and media repertoires established by Swart et al. (2017), a qualitative research has been conducted consisting of eight semi-structured interviews. Through a thematic analysis possible patterns have been established and findings show that individuals tend to change their behaviour in news consumption for various reasons. (1) Participants want to be able to establish their own news-routines and use their migration as an opportunity for a new start, (2) there is a certain influence by people closest to them and with their social circle changing, their (news) interests change as well, and (3) motivation and interest play an important role in shaping new consumption behaviours in a new country: the more one is interested in learning more about the new country, its culture and its language, the more likely they are to check that country’s traditional news media sources.

The theme of the work is very central and is often addressed during debates, in the media and in general in society. Second-generation immigrants may find it difficult to understand the conflicts that exist around fitting into a society and shaping themselves according to social reality.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to highlight, on the basis of second-generation immigrants with roots in the Balkans, the concept of identity that is formed at the intersection of the values of the majority society and the cultural background of immigrant parents. 

This study consists of primary data through qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Interview technology is based on predetermined questions based on my chosen themes. The chosen theoretical perspectives include: Symbolic Interactionism and the impact of ethnicity in social interaction.

The conclusions of this study are that second-generation immigrants are being squeezed with their cultural affiliation because they cannot be fully accepted, either in Sweden or in their parents home country. Furthermore, second-generation immigrants are formed on the basis of both their parents cultural background and the majority society. 

This study explores the influence of social media on Iranian students’ migration decisions, specifically choosing Sweden as their study destination. The study contributes to addressing identified gaps in understanding major factors and drivers of migration decisions and social media’s potential role in the process. A quantitative approach was utilized to collect data through the online survey of Iranian students currently residing in Sweden. The online survey aimed to research the key migration influencers and assess the impact of social media on respective decisions. The analysis indicates that migration decisions are influenced by a combination of internal and external factors. Generally, migration decisions are influenced by economic factors, related to the country of relocation, political climate, and personal development potential. Social media, specifically Instagram and Telegram, was a valuable source of information and social interactions; its impact was moderate compared to identified influencers. Despite a clear role in creating migration perceptions, economic, social, and safety factors drive these decisions to this point.

I kapitlet behandlas hur kvinnor kommer till tals i asylprocessen. Genom att analysera implementeringen av Migrationsverkets riktlinjer under utredningsstadiet i asylprocessen påvisas invanda strukturer och förhållningssätt i Migrationsverkets implementering som försämrar kvinnors möjlighet att komma till tals. Vad gäller exempelvis ifall handläggare på verket ställer frågan om en kvinna har önskemål om handläggaren, tolken och det offentliga biträdet efter kön indikerar aktstudien att den oftast inte ställs. Dessutom förklarar handläggarna ofta inte varför de ställer denna fråga, vilket kan riskera att motivet till frågan blir oklar. I de fall som rör asylsökande kvinnors hälsa, i synnerhet hos dem som utsatts för sexuella övergrepp, finns det på mottagningsenheterna mycket begränsad dokumentation. Det förekommer även bristande dokumenterad samverkan mellan mottagnings- och asylenheter i fall som rör könsrelaterad förföljelse. Vissa grupper av asylsökande kvinnor har inte samma möjlighet att komma till tals i asylprocessen. “Kvinnor i familj” får ofta mindre tid vid utredningen av sina asylskäl än ensamkommande kvinnor. Vidare utreds kvinnor utifrån mannens berättelse, för att antingen komplettera eller bekräfta denna. Dessutom belyser undersökningen att lågutbildade eller icke läs- och skrivkunniga kvinnor, samt kvinnor som har varit utsatta för sexuellt våld, ofta befinner sig i en extra utsatt situation. Det ska också framhållas att det även förekommer bristande kännedom om riktlinjerna på Migrationsverket. Det finns en okunskap om vilka konsekvenser deras arbete med utredningsaspekterna på asylprocessens initiala stadier – i synnerhet i frågan om kön på det offentliga biträdet, handläggaren och tolken, samt i den separata utredningen – kan ha för bedömningen av kvinnors asylskäl.

Integration is a well-known phenomenon all over Europe as a result of the increasing globalization that contributes to people moving across boarders more than ever. A joint effort is necessary for immigrants to integrate into their host societies which benefits not only the immigrant but the society overall. This thesis analyses the European Commission’s Action Plan on Integration in order to create a profound understanding of the main tools for integration of immigrants according to the Commission. The Commission has published two action plans, one from 2016, shortly after the refugee crisis, and one from 2020. The aim of the thesis is to identify which tools for integration are prioritized, how this changes over time and how it relates to Diaz integration model which is the theory that is used in the thesis. Diaz integration model explains the integration process in seven dimensions. The dimensions are used as a tool to interpret the texts in accordance with a qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that the Commission mainly prioritizes efforts related to the economic dimension, meaning workforce measures and economic self-sufficiency. The European Commission increases their focus on communicative integration in the latter action plan and intends to implement more measures to ensure improved language skills and better access to information. This leads to the conclusion that the action plans changes as the needs and requirements for integration tools changes a few years after the refugee crisis when many immigrants arrived to Europe. The commission seems to prioritize measures that favor the entire society, mainly referring to economic welfare, while for example political integration is low priority despite the  plans association with political actors.

This dissertation analyzes narratives of queer partner migration, that is, a family-tie migration in which one of the partners of a relationship has migrated in order for the partners to be together, and where the partners queer the migration in the sense that they have a non-normative sexuality and/or gender identity. The purpose of the study is to examine how queer partner migrants and their Swedish partners experience the migration process – which continues also once the administrative process has been completed – by analyzing the emotions and feelings that emerge in the process. The study is a contribution to research on privileged migration as well as intimate migration.

The focus is the queer partner migration relationship, and what emotions and feelings ‘do’ to this relationship, but also how emotions and feelings structure the migration process. The study analyzes the work three different emotions – love, loss, and belonging – do in these migration processes, and how this work is described in the participant narratives. Migrant participants have migrated from different parts of the world (Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America), making it possible to analyze what emotions and feelings do in this particular migration process from the point of view of nationality and, in particular, proximity to ‘Western-ness,’ race, and language as well as how privileges connected to these positions come to matter in the process.

The dissertation is an ethnographic interview study in which both migrants and Swedish partners have been interviewed. The interview material consists of a combination of couple interviews and individual interviews.

By using affect theories and the concept of queer phenomenology, the dissertation shows how the work that emotions and feelings do in migration processes is connected to gender identity, sexual identity, race and whiteness, nationality, perceived proximity to Western-ness, class, language, and the migration narrative the migrating partner is (or is not) written into by way of the country they have migrated from. This is analyzed in relation to the theoretical frameworks of entanglement, homonationalism, and intimate citizenship.

The analysis shows that emotions and feelings structure the migration process for both more privileged and less privileged migrants, but in different ways. The understanding of who ‘is’ a migrant, and the preparedness for the feelings that arise in a migration process, are tied to the positions mentioned above and the privileges these positions give, or do not give, the migrant access to. By focusing on emotions and feelings and what these do, the study also illustrates how the migration process affects the non-migrating partner as this partner engages in emotional labour to ‘make’ the migrating partner ‘Swedish.’ Through their the migrating partner, the non-migrating partner is also aligned in a way that makes them a little bit less ‘Swedish,’ contributing to the non-migrating partner being ‘stopped’ in ways they have usually not experienced before. The study further shows how migration processes produces inequality, and the difficulties that arise when the couples try to live up to the Swedish ideal of the equal relationship.

The interviews are analyzed as narratives, and both narratives and storytelling are important throughout the dissertation, not only as the method used in the analysis but as the form of the dissertation, making it a kind of super structure organizing the writing. Writing (how to write accessibly and interesting) and reading (how to write in order to invite an open and active reading) are important aspects of the dissertation.

This article aims to discuss changes in attitudes towards immigrants in Sweden from 2015 onwards, based on the results of the longitudinal Diversity Barometer studies from 2005-2014, 2016 and 2018. The Diversity Barometer studies are based on a national, representative, and randomly selected sample from the Swedish population, with a new sample selected each time. We have analyzed the changes from a sociological perspective, using theories such as contact theory and group conflict theory. The results show an increase in negative attitudes towards ethic and cultural diversity generally, and towards immigrants specifically. Diversity in culture and religion – especially towards Islam – is more negatively perceived as compared to diversity in the work domain. Societal groups with extensive experience from contact with foreigners, those who identify themselves as women, those who are more educated, younger people and city dwellers, have all a more positive attitude towards diversity than others.

Boken är en samling av de flesta texter som har publicerats i samband med Mångfaldsbarometern.

I det första kapitlet redogör Fereshteh Ahmadi, Mehrdad Darvishpour och Irving Palm för resultat från Mångfaldsbarometern från 2005 – 2014 och även andra undersökningar. De presenterar också en sociologisk analys av insamlade data under tio år.

I det andra kapitlet presenterar Orlando Mella de första årens resultat utifrån ett sociologiskt perspektiv, både teoretiskt och metodologiskt.

I det tredje kapitlet förklarar Orlando Mella resultaten av sju års mätningar av attityder till mångfald, av mätningar av attityder mot mångfald och fastställer och tolkar vissa tendenser som stabila profiler.

I det fjärde kapitlet fokuseras på mångfalden i arbetslivet. Den svenska välfärden är tydligt relaterad till invandring. Att underlätta för invandrare att få möjlighet till arbete och egen försörjning har ansetts viktigt för deras integrering i samhället. Invånarnas egna erfarenheter av kontakter med personer med utländsk bakgrund visar sig påverka befolkningens attityder liksom kön, ålder och utbildning.

I det femte kapitlet behandlas problem kring integration. Mångfaldsbarometern 2009 som kompletterats med ett antal intervjuer visar att en stor andel av befolkningen har positiva erfarenheter av invandrare och menar att de skall ha samma rättigheter och möjligheter som den infödda befolkningen. Studien visar dock att den sociala toleransen har sina gränser och tycks förändras över tid.

Kapitlen 6-15 består av de årliga rapporterna av Mångfaldsbarometern. I dessa rapporter hittar man statistik och förklaringar till de olika tabeller och figurer som presenteras. I slutet av boken presenteras en lista över en del viktiga artiklar som skrevs i massmedia om Mångfaldsbarometern.

The study presented in this paper examined intersectional discrimination against individuals with multiple minority identities in the housing market, specifically those identifying as Arab Muslims. By sending inquiries from three fictitious applicants - a Swedish Christian, an Arab Christian, and an Arab Muslim - to 1,200 landlords in Sweden, we analyzed differences in landlord responses. Results showed the Swedish Christian received the most positive replies, followed by the Arab Christian, with the Arab Muslim receiving the fewest. The study underscores the compounded discrimination faced by those with multiple minority identities and challenges the conflation of ethnic and religious identities in prior research.

Through scrutiny of academic research in the context of ethnic conflict, the present article advances the agenda of critical policy studies. To that end, it conducts a case study of representations of the Kurds in Turkish scholarship and aims to highlight a nexus between nationalism, state policy, and scholarship. Two arguments are advanced herein. First, Turkish scholars who adhere to the dominant nationalist ideology in Turkey represent the Kurds in accordance with the dictates of this ideology and justify sovereign power in the maintenance of relations of ethnic domination and subordination. Second, while Turkey no longer denies the physical existence of the Kurds, the state and Turkish scholars persist in withholding recognition of Kurdish identity. The scholars in question do so under pretenses of scientific objectivity, political universalism, and a commitment to peace. However, the lingering of the policy of denial and the justification of it constitute a fundamental hurdle to a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue. A critical approach to state policy and scholarship not only makes it possible to debunk pretenses of scientific objectivity and political universalism, but may also be more conducive to scholarly autonomy and commitment to peace in societies marked by ethnic conflict. 

This open access book brings novel perspectives to the scholarship on transnational migration. The book stresses the complexity of migration trajectories and proposes multi-sited field studies to capture this complexity. Its constituent chapters offer examples of onward migration spanning all major world regions. The contents exemplify a range of interdisciplinary approaches, including both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The result is an impressive remapping and reconceptualisation of global migration and mobility, of interest to students and policy-makers alike. 

This introductory chapter sets the scene for the book. It defines onward migration as a migration trajectory that involves extended stays in two or more destination countries and distinguishes it from competing and overlapping terms like stepwise and transit migration. Onward migration is a growing phenomenon within overall global migration dynamics, although statistics to document the scale and trends of this type of migration are scarce. The main aim of the chapter is to examine how onward migration and transnationalism are connected. This is achieved both by reference to a range of existing literature and by citing evidence from the succeeding chapters in the volume. We demonstrate both how transnationalism can shape onward migration and, the reverse, how different onward migration trajectories may result in different forms of transnationalism. In this latter context, we identify inter-generational, split, widening and re-routed transnationalism, again drawing on examples both from the book and from the wider literature. The final section of the chapter consists of a methodological discussion on the practicalities of researching onward migration and multi-sited transnationalism, in which the technique of multi-sited ethnography is discussed, critiqued and modified.

This thesis aims to investigate social integration experiences of Nigerian students in the United Kingdom, focusing on the influence off participating in social activities and building connections with the local community. The research aims to understand how these factors contribute to the overall social integration of Nigerian students in the United Kingdom. Study shows that many of the participants form meaningful social connections with natives in their host communities. However, few expressed a preference for maintaining cultural boundaries and avoiding social connections. Findings show that, sense of belonging within the host community was found to be influenced by personal ideologies, experiences, cultural background, and attitudes. The outcome of this study provides deeper understanding of the challenges faced by migrants during the process of acculturation, it also reiterates the significance of establishing inclusive and supportive environments to facilitate migrants’ integration into the host community.

This study has analyzed five different judgments from the colonial anti-sodomy law Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code using the frameworks of Foucauldian genealogical discourse, and Judith Butler’s heterosexual matrix. The aim was to understand and expose how sexuality and lesbianism were constructed within these judgments and to make the norms within the discourses visible.

The findings showed sexuality as dependent on a heterosexual and gender-binary norm. Gender hierarchy creates structures of the gender binary that positioned the man in the center of sexual interaction, desire, and sexuality. In contrast, the woman played a passive and often invisible, and nonsexual role. Further, the gender hierarchy produced a sexual hierarchy with natural heterosexuality as the most desirable. To maintain good heterosexuality, differentiation was crucial hence the undesirable and perverted male homosexuality acted as a hostile opposition. Due to the role of women as passive lesbianism appeared invisible. The discourse of the nonsexual woman made lesbian sexuality unimaginable. As a consequence, the lesbian was assumed asexual.

Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i barnkonventionen och skolans styrdokument. I fokus är pedagogens uppdrag att stödja elevens trygghetskänsla och självbild genom ett medvetet arbetssätt där elevens bakgrund, kultur och språk uppmärksammas. Ett delsyfte är att undersöka eventuella olikheter i pedagogers förhållningssätt, till elevers kulturella bakgrund och modersmål som en resurs i undervisningen. Studien tar stöd i tidigare forskning som visar på ett tydligt samband mellan pedagogens förhållningssätt, elevens identitetsutveckling och skolresultat. Den teoretiska bakgrunden finner vi bland annat i Mead (1976) som beskriver hur signifikanta andra (till exempel en lärare) påverkar identitetsutvecklingen hos eleven genom att individen ser sig själv som en spegelbild, genom andra. Studien är en kvalitativ undersökning som vi genomfört genom deltagande observationer kompletterade med en mindre enkät. Vår undersökningsgrupp består av sju pedagoger fördelat på två olika skolor, i Norrköpings kommun, med tillgång till olika ekonomiska resurser. Resultatet visar på olikheter i pedagogernas förhållningssätt på båda skolorna. I enkätsvaren framkom att de flesta pedagogerna hade relativt god kunskap om fördelarna med att uppmärksamma elevernas kulturella bakgrund och språk för att skapa goda förutsättningar för lärande och identitetsutveckling för eleverna med svenska som andraspråk. Dock visade observationerna att pedagogerna inte genomför detta i praktiken. Vår slutsats av studien är att skillnaden mellan pedagogers olika arbetssätt främst beror på den enskilda pedagogens attityder och intresse.

Background Migrants face structural, socio-political barriers in their resettlement processes that negatively affect their health. Migration also adversely impacts resources such as social capital and health literacy that are of importance for health and integration into society. Hence, there is a need for health promotion in the early post-migration phase. In Sweden, newly settled refugee migrants who have received a residence permit are offered an Introduction programme including a civic orientation course. The program is intended to facilitate access to the labour market and promote integration. The aim of the study was to explore participants' perceptions and experiences of a civic orientation course with added health communication. Methods We performed six focus group discussions: two in Arabic, two in Farsi and two in Somali. The discussions were facilitated by native speaking moderators. Participants were 32 men and women recruited from civic orientation classes in the county of Stockholm. We used an interview guide with semi-structured questions. The data were analysed using a method for content analysis for focus group discussions. Results Three main categories were identified: (1) 'The course gives valuable information but needs adjustments', which includes that the civic and health orientation is needed earlier, during the asylum phase, and that planning and course content need adjustments. (2) 'The health communication inspired participants to focus on their health', which includes that the health communication was useful and inspired uptake of healthier habits. (3) 'Participation in the course promoted independence and self-confidence', which includes that the course gave insights into society and values in Sweden, and promoted independence and new social contacts. Conclusion This study adds knowledge about the users' perspectives on the potential of civic orientation to promote the health and integration of newly settled migrants, describing ways in which civic orientation with added health communication promoted health and empowerment. However, the content and delivery of the course need adjustment to better fit the migrants' life situations and varying pre-existing knowledge.

Women's entrepreneurship is often presented as important for creating economic prosperity at the national level and is said to offer freedom, independence, and emancipation for women. The purpose of this study is to explore the conditions of women entrepreneurs who have different backgrounds in Sweden. To achieve this purpose, this study focuses on the challenges women entrepreneurs perceive and the coping strategies they employ to navigate these challenges. The study adopts an intersectional gender perspective, grounded in research on entrepreneurship, gender, and ethnicity. It draws on qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs in Sweden who have different backgrounds. The findings show that the challenges experienced by the women entrepreneurs included lack of support, being belittled, being excluded, having to work harder and be strong and having to adapt. The analysis discusses that these challenges can be understood as a result of gendered perceptions of entrepreneurship and processes of Othering. Ethnicity and race also play a role in shaping these conditions. The interviewed women deal with the conditions through four strategies: the assimilation strategy; the positive strategy, the ambiguity strategy, and the change strategy. The coping strategies are discussed in relation to empowerment and emancipation. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to developing concepts and conceptual relationships to capture how gender, ethnicity, and race impact women's conditions as entrepreneurs. 

This thesis attempts to analyse how refugees and immigrants were portrayed by some of the major Swedish newspapers that have high readability in Sweden, and thus probably may highly impact public opinion in Sweden, mainly during the autumn of 2015. This is achieved by analysing 19 articles from the three biggest newspapers Dagens Nyheter (DN), Aftonbladet, and Sydsvenskan out of which 10 are editorials and 9 are quotes from interviews with politicians. Content analysis is used to analyse the articles. Securitization theory is applied as the theoretical framework. The analysis found that there was an approach of welcoming refugees and promoting immigration in the autumn of 2015, which changed to a negative one just a few months later by the same Swedish media calling that influx of refugees a “refugee crisis”. The newspapers have similar political positions on the refugee issue regarding favouring reduced immigration. 

Finland is recognized as a country with high human rights standards including the rights of the indigenous people that are protected by various declarations, conventions, and international human rights laws. Finland first enacted a Sámi Parliament Act in 1995 and has most recently in 2019 received criticism from the UN Human Rights Committee for not guaranteeing the rights for the legally recognized indigenous Sámi people living within Finland’s borders. Government proposal to reform the Act sparked the discussion of Sámi rights in Finland in the fall of 2022. Through a critical postcolonial perspective together with examining purposeful sampling material and the reform opposing discourse in the Finnish parliament, this thesis aims to get a view for the reason of the dismissal of the reform. It suggests that Finland’s position as a human rights model country in indigenous people’s rights is questionable in the matter of the Sámi rights.

This research investigates the complex relationship between nationhood, nation-building and womanhood, providing a nuanced understanding of women’s experiences. In specific, this study is centered on the experiences of Kurdish women in the only semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the world: the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The research is characterized as a qualitative case study and incorporates the method of in-depth semi-structured interviews. A total of six women – residing in the city of Sulaymaniyah (KRI) – were interviewed and the findings illuminate the multifaceted nature of womanhood in an ethnic group impacted by a tumultuous history. The findings in this study underscore the interlinkages between societal structures, such as kinship systems, with the cultural product of Kurdish nationhood. It is demonstrated that whilst women are influenced by these societal structures and the prevailing socio-cultural norms, they also inherit a degree of agency that sculpts their position as independent agents within the cultural body.