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Out of the Closet, Into the Lagom (?)

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Out of the Closet, Into the Lagom (?) Linköping University - Department of Culture and Society (IKOS) Master´s Thesis, 30 Credits – MA in Ethnic and Migration Studies (EMS) ISRN: LiU-IKOS/EMS--20/13--SE Out of the closet, into the lagom (?) Perceptions and Feelings of Inclusion, Exclusion, and Belonging among Queer Migrants in Sweden Froso Terzoglou Supervisor: Catrin Lundström ii CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... V GLOSSARY........................................................................................................................... VI 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Aim and Research questions .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Delimitations and Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 2 2. CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND AND CRITIQUES................................................. 4 2.1. Sweden and gender rights ............................................................................................................................... 4 2.2. The New (Labor) Migration Era .................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.1. West-East and local-global ..................................................................................................................... 8 2.3.2. Spatiality and Passing ........................................................................................................................... 10 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................ 13 3.1. Queer theory- Definitions and historical presence ...................................................................................... 13 3.2. Between Foucault and Butler ...................................................................................................................... 15 3.3. Through racial and colonial imaginaries .................................................................................................... 17 3.4. (Politics of) Belonging .................................................................................................................................. 19 4. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 22 4.1. Qualitative research and queer methodologies ............................................................................................ 22 4.2. Phenomenological Research and Narrative Analysis ................................................................................. 23 4.3. Reflexivity/My position ................................................................................................................................. 24 4.4. Interviews ...................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.5. Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................................................. 26 4.6. Participants’ profiles..................................................................................................................................... 27 4.7. General Data Protection Regulation ............................................................................................................ 27 5. ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 28 Out of the closet, into the lagom(?) Froso Terzoglou Linköping University MA Ethnic and Migration Studies iii 5.1. Choosing Sweden .......................................................................................................................................... 28 5.2. Migrant identity ............................................................................................................................................ 30 5.2.1. Bureaucracy .......................................................................................................................................... 31 5.2.2. Discrimination ....................................................................................................................................... 33 5.3. Queer Identity ............................................................................................................................................... 36 5.3.1. Dating .................................................................................................................................................... 36 5.3.2. Discrimination ....................................................................................................................................... 38 5.4. Belonging ...................................................................................................................................................... 41 5.4.1. Houses and friends ................................................................................................................................ 42 5.4.2. Homes and words .................................................................................................................................. 44 6. DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................. 48 6.1. Inclusion, exclusion, and migration ............................................................................................................ 48 6.2. Inclusion, exclusion, and queerness ............................................................................................................ 50 6.3. Which one? ................................................................................................................................................... 51 6.4. Sense of belonging ........................................................................................................................................ 52 7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 53 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 54 APPENDIX 1 .......................................................................................................................... 62 APPENDIX 2 .......................................................................................................................... 63 Out of the closet, into the lagom(?) Froso Terzoglou Linköping University MA Ethnic and Migration Studies iv ABSTRACT Despite the increasing interest in asylum seekers and refugees within the field of migration studies, there has been a gap in queer migrants’ research. This thesis is an attempt to investigate how migrant and gender identity are influencing each other and how they lead to experiences of both inclusion and exclusion in Swedish society, based on experiences of six queer migrants. In the first half, there is a presentation and criticism on migrant theories and previous studies related to the subjects of migration, gender and sexuality. There is also an attempt to defining queer and presenting how it intersects with migrant identity, through the stages of welcoming, adapting, developing, and maintaining oneself in a Swedish level. Finally, aspects of space and feelings of belonging are discussed further on. The second half of the thesis consists of a methodological part and the analysis of the interviews with queer migrants in Sweden, leading to further discussions, additional thoughts, and suggestions. Keywords: queer, migration, Sweden, identity, gender, sexuality, passing, discrimination, intersectionality, queer of colour critique, belonging, inclusion, exclusion Out of the closet, into the lagom(?) Froso Terzoglou Linköping University MA Ethnic and Migration Studies v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is a piece of work that took place during an unprecedented pandemic, which brought us panic and fear but also more understanding and support. First, I would like to thank the Course Director, Stefan Jonsson, for his guidance and life lessons, as well as Anna Bredström, the Programme Director, for her care and passion. Also, all REMESO stuff for their work and company during the past two years and my colleagues for valuable times and fun. Then, I was really lucky to have Catrin Lundström as a supervisor. I want to thank her for the support, positive mind, and space she gave me. Of course, writing this thesis would not be the same without the continuous support, care, and patience of my loved ones. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to the participants of this research. Their consistency, honesty, comfort, and contribution to what has been done was remarkable and led to perfect cooperation. Thank you! Out of the closet, into the lagom(?) Froso Terzoglou Linköping University MA Ethnic and Migration Studies vi GLOSSARY Before stepping into my thesis, I find it necessary to shortly describe some key-terms regarding gender and sexuality, important
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