Mångfald i ord - assimilation i strategin? : En analys av integrationsideal och problemrepresentationer i fem svenska kommuners styrdokument

Sammanfattning

This study investigates how integration is represented and conceptualized in the strategic policy documents of five Swedish municipalities. By combining Carol Bacchi’s discourse analytical approach “What’s the Problem Represented to be?” (WPR) with an ideal-type model of integration (assimilation and multiculturalism), the study examines both what kind of integration ideals are promoted and how integration is constructed as a policy. The analysis is structured around six analytical dimensions of integration: culture, citizenship, language, adaptation, integration measures and representation. The findings show that while municipal policies often employ inclusive and diversity-oriented rhetoric, they frequently place the practical responsibility of integration on the individual. This results in a tension between discourse and implementation, where ideals of openness coexist with limited structural support or participatory mechanisms. The study reveals a recurring pattern of hybrid models, where assimilationist and multicultural elements are combined, and highlights the need for more reflexive and participatory approaches in local integration governance.