The end of Swedish exceptionalism? Citizenship, neoliberalism and the politics of exclusion

Abstract

Sweden, where some 20 per cent of the population is either foreign born or second generation, has long been known internationally as the model of a tolerant, egalitarian, multicultural welfare state, which extended substantial citizenship, welfare and labour rights to all within its borders, including immigrants. However, under the twin pressures of neoliberalism and the EU’s commitment to ‘managed migration’, this Swedish exceptionalism has been, and continues to be, substantially eroded. The shortcomings of the earlier multicultural settlement of the 1960s and 1970s, a growing extremist populism, the growth of an unprotected, semi-clandestine sector of the labour market, combined with high levels of youth unemployment and urban segregation, have led to unprecedented rioting and violence in Swedish cities. The voices of minority ethnic youth, many of them Muslim, should be heeded as rejecting the exclusivism of current political trends.

Ethnicizing Employability : Governing the Unemployed in Labour Market Projects in Sweden

“…With the rise of popular racism and xenophobia during the economic crises of the 1990s, Sweden's self-image as a moral role-model was severely damaged (Pred 2000;Schierup and Ålund 2011). Since the crises of the 1990s, approximately one third of the labour force has had loose connections with the labour market, working in atypical jobs and temporary employment, a development that is not only applicable to migrants.…”

“…Sweden is a society in which public discourse frowns upon explicit racism and xenophobia -official institutions as well as many individuals mirror themselves in values such as social justice and equal rights for all (Pred 2000;Schierup and Ålund 2011). This is also the case for the ESF, with main slogan 'jobs and new opportunities for all' (Swedish ESF Council 2016c), indicating a will to provide opportunities for everybody to be included in society.…”

Politics of Belonging: A Narrative on Activism in Sweden

“…In his narrative, he intertwines thoughts on Swedishness with public political discourse that appeals to the nation's cohesion, which since the early 1990s is characterized by demands for shared cultural value systems, while differentiating between us and them in terms of culture in the labor market, the educational system, by increased segregation, etc. (Schierup and Ålund 2011).…”

Aktivism som platskamp. Självpositionering och medborgarskapande inom den svenska förortsrörelsen

“…En ökande ekonomisk ojämlikhet med överlappande etnisk och ekonomisk segregation i boende, utbildning och på arbetsmarknaden har särskilt drabbat områden med höga andelar människor ur så kallade synliga minoriteter, det vill säga med bakgrund i Asien, Afrika och Latin amerika (Socialstyrelsen 2010;Schierup & Ålund 2011;Edling 2015). Genom pro cesser av kulturell och territoriell stigmatisering skapas dessa områden som "förorten", vilken symboliskt främst kopplas ihop med sociala pro blem och kriminalitet (Sernhede 2002;Wacquant 2008).…”

“…Social ojämlikhet och kulturell stigmatisering har fungerat som en grogrund för både motstånd och identitetsskapande bland ungdomar och unga vuxna från dessa områden. De har startat en rad nya organi sationer och nätverk som försöker motverka en politiskt iscensatt ned montering av välfärdstjänster och därmed en nyliberal samhällsutveck ling i Sverige (Harvey 2005;Schierup & Ålund 2011;León Rosales & Ålund 2017). Aktivister i organisationer som Megafonen i Stockholm, eller som Pantrarna för upprustning av förorten i Göteborg, Rörelsen Gatans röst och ansikte i Malmö, för att nämna några exempel, bedriver folkbildning i sina områden för att höja kunskapen om de processer som leder till ökad ojämlikhet och kulturell stigmatisering.…”