An Awakening in Sweden: Contemporary Discourses of Swedish Cultural and National Identity
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An Awakening in Sweden: Contemporary Discourses of Swedish Cultural and National Identity Kaitlin Elizabeth May Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Thesis University of Colorado Boulder Spring 2018 Thesis Advisor Alison Cool | Department of Anthropology Committee Members Carla Jones | Department of Anthropology Benjamin R. Teitelbaum | Department of Ethnomusicology For my Mothers Grandmothers Mödrar Mormödrar Around the world i Acknowledgements I am very lucky to have so many people who have supported me along this journey. Alison, you are an amazing advisor. You have been so patient and supportive in helping me to figure out this challenge and learn new skills. Thank you for pushing me to think of new ideas and produce more pages. I hope that I can be an Anthropologist like you some day. Carla, thank you for being both my cheerleader and my reality check. For the past year you have given me so much of your time and been supportive, encouraging, and firm. Thank you to Professor Teitelbaum for helping me to prepare my fieldwork and agreeing to be on my committee despite being on paternity leave for the semester. Your support and knowledge has been very influential throughout my research. Tack till min svenska lärare Merete för hennes tålamod och vägledning. Tack till min svenska familj och vänner: Josephine, Ove, Malte, Alice, Cajsa, Tommy, Ann-Britt, Anna, Linnea, Ulla, Niklas, Cajsa, Anders, Marie, Felicia, och Maxe. Jag saknar alla otroligt mycket. Mom and Dad, thank you for supporting me as I switched between academic worlds. You have put so much effort into listening and learning about Anthropology. Even in the beginning when you didn’t understand my field you respected the fact that it was my passion and did everything you could to help me achieve my goals. I love you very much. Thank you, Grandpa, for enthusiastically supporting my choice to join the social sciences and helping me to understand difficult theories. Thank you, Grandma, for bringing Swedish traditions into my life and talking me through the hard times when I couldn’t see the way out. Thank you, Reece. You always help me to see my own strengths when I have discounted them. Finally, to my faithful canine companion Max, who sat and slept by my side through long days and nights of research and writing. ii Abstract This thesis is an ethnographic study that examines contemporary discourses of cultural and national identity in Sweden. Fieldwork for this study consisted of interviews with fourteen Swedish individuals and participant observation in several locations in Sweden. Relying on insights from scholarship concerning the ethnographic study of Sweden, the study of the Nordic social welfare states, and studies of race, nationalism, and cultural identity, this thesis describes the historical, political, and social factors that influence how Swedish people form perceptions of cultural and national identity. Taking inspiration from Allan Pred’s theory of “the unspeakable”, this thesis develops a theoretical framework based on three sociolinguistic registers: the spoken, the unspoken, and the unspeakable. Using this framework, as well as theories on nostalgia, Benedict Anderson’s theory of imagined communities, and Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of distinction and taste, this thesis analyses situations and concepts that articulate common Swedish themes of belonging, inclusion, and exclusion. The conclusions of this study offer insights into the contemporary discourses surrounding who is a Swede, and what it means to be recognized and accepted as a Swede in Swedish society. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Figures .............................................................................................................................. v Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Research Methods ....................................................................................................................... 2 Literature ................................................................................................................................... 10 Framework ................................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter Outline ......................................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 1 - First Impressions ........................................................................................................ 21 Nordic Whiteness – How Race Became Unspeakable in Sweden ............................................ 21 A Reserved People .................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2 – Nature and Nostalgia ................................................................................................. 44 The “Nature” of Swedishness ................................................................................................... 46 Allemansrätten and Acting Swedish ......................................................................................... 51 Chapter 3 – Evoking Folkhemmet ................................................................................................. 57 Folkhemmet and the Swedish Model ........................................................................................ 59 The Contemporary Presence of Folkhemmet ............................................................................ 62 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix – Interview Questions .................................................................................................. 82 English ....................................................................................................................................... 82 Svenska...................................................................................................................................... 83 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 84 iv Table of Figures Cover Photograph: “Swedish National Day Celebration in Stockholm” (Ericson 2011) Figure 1: Several of the cottage neighbors setting up the midsummer pole (Photo Credit: Kaitlin May) ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 2: “En Svensk Tiger” Image (Beredskapsmuseet 2016) ................................................... 30 Figure 3: “A lesson in Swedish" (Something Swedish 2016a) ..................................................... 33 Figure 4: “Waiting for the bus like a Swede” (Something Swedish 2016b) ................................ 39 Figure 5: Stefan and Elin’s Summer Cottage in the High Coast (Photo Credit: Kaitlin May) ..... 48 Figure 6: A popular artistic representation of fika culture (Ohlssen 2016) .................................. 76 Figure 7: Captured images from the video "Swedish Fika" (Go Royal 2017) ............................. 79 v Introduction Sweden in 2017 What does it mean to be Swedish today? My thesis is an ethnographic study of how Swedes understand Swedish cultural and national identity at a time of political and demographic changes. Swedish state policies have shifted in the past two decades, expanding their immigration policies and granting asylum to an increased number of refugees from outside Western Europe. These policy changes have noticeably increased the diversity in Sweden. Approximately a quarter of the population in 2016 had some degree of foreign background, meaning that they immigrated themselves or they were born in Sweden to one or more foreign parents (Statistiska Centralbyrån 2017). Although Sweden prides itself on its measures of equality and unity, this increased diversity has had noticeable impacts on the way that Swedes live in and perceive the state of their country. For example, there are now more and more people living in Sweden who do not speak Swedish and whose cultural and religious beliefs differ from traditional Swedish norms and values. Although none of these factors are inherently negative, they can still create strain and tension between Swedish and immigrant communities. Swedish people are taking stock of their own values while also learning about and adapting to the customs of newcomers. My thesis examines concepts of Swedish national and cultural identity and the factors that delimit the ability to identify as a Swede and be accepted as such by other Swedes. As I will argue, Swedish discourses of cultural and national identity—and related questions of belonging, inclusion, and exclusion—are best analyzed by examining their articulation in three different registers: the spoken, the unspoken, and the unspeakable. 1 Research Methods The primary research for my thesis was completed during the summer of 2017. I conducted field work in Sweden between the 17th of June and the 16th of July while traveling