With the significant rise in the global migration of people, human migration between countries is a topic that has grown in importance. Poverty, war, natural disasters, political strife and pandemics are all factors that may drive migrants to leave the places they live and seek out destinations of refuge, while others may relocate for a myriad of reasons; work, or relationship commitments, to name but two. The anthropology of migration, as a body of knowledge, has matured as new explanations have been sought for successfully integrating migrants into host countries. This has led to questions regarding ‘integration’ of migrants into host societies as being critical issues for anthropological analysis, as well as in terms of policy. anthropological research undertaken on migration from poor to rich countries has primarily focused on three broad areas: discrimination and disqualification by the host population, strategies for the sustenance of group identity, and the relationship between immigrant culture and majority culture. In this regard, Sweden is a country that has, over the years, accommodated a substantial number of migrants in comparison to some of the other European nations; integrating migrants into Swedish society is a story of abiding complexity. Through the experiences of participants, this thesis is focused upon capturing some of that complexity. Evidence for the study was collected by interviewing migrants to Sweden. The study found that integration is never complete. The study suggests that being ‘integrated’ is never final – things can happen to make you ‘unintegrated’ once more. Integration is never final – and often only ever a partial process. The principal challenge that hinders being able to measure ‘integration’ is its nuanced, partial, fluid, and complex nature.
Becoming secure, becoming Swedish? Being Transnational
Mittra, A. (Author). 21 Mar 2023
Student thesis: Master's Thesis › Master of Philosophy (MPhil)