Assessing Nigerian Students' Integration Perspectives in Malmo, Sweden

Sammanfattning

This study critically explores the integration experiences of Nigerian students in Malmö, Sweden, using acculturation theory as the primary conceptual framework. It investigates how these students navigate cultural adaptation, language acquisition, social networks, experiences of discrimination, and their evolving senses of belonging within a predominantly White, non-English-speaking European context. Guided by interpretivist epistemology, the researchemployed a qualitative methodology, conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with five Nigerian students currently enrolled in Swedish higher education programmes. The findings reveal that participants demonstrated considerable agency in adapting to Swedish cultural norms and institutional expectations; their integration trajectories were profoundly shaped bystructural constraints, particularly racialisation, systemic discrimination, and limited institutional responsiveness. Language emerged as both an enabler and a barrier: while English proficiency facilitated initial academic integration, a lack of Swedish fluency and racialised perceptions continued to restrict broader societal participation. Co-ethnic networks and informal support structures played crucial roles in sustaining participants' resilience, yet formal institutional supports were often perceived as superficial or insufficient. Cultural retention functioned not as resistance to integration but as a strategic and dynamic process of identity preservation, enabling participants to construct hybrid identities amidst experiences of exclusion. The study extends acculturation theory by highlighting the need to foreground structural racism, emotional labour, and conditional belonging in conceptualisations of migrant integration. It concludes that successful integration requires not merely migrant willingness but substantive societal transformation toward equity, anti-racism, and genuine inclusion. This research contributes new empirical insights into the experiences of African international students in non-Anglophone European contexts and offers practical recommendations for universities and policymakers aiming to create more inclusive educational and societal environments.