Mellan två världar - Upplevelser av svenskhet och tillhörighet av andra generationens invandrare

Sammanfattning

This study explores how young adults at a Swedish university, born in Sweden with two foreign born parents, experience and understand their identity and sense of belonging in relation to ideas of Swedishness. The study also explores how these experiences influence their self-image, everyday experiences, and perceptions and exclusion, particularly within higher education and future working life. The study is based on a qualitative research approach and consists of eight semi-structured interviews with university students in southern Sweden. The participants were selected through purposive sampling based on their relevance to the study’s aim and research questions. The analysis was guided by postcolonialism and Erwing Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective as complementary theoretical frameworks. The findings indicate that Swedishness is understood as both societal participation and shared values, but also as something linked in ethnicity, appearance and origin. Belonging is described as context- dependent, where participants may feel Swedish in some situations while being positioned as “immigrants” in others. The results further show that students' lives are shaped by dominant social norms, particularly around socializing and alcohol, which can create feelings of exclusion. Furthermore, the study highlights how future opportunities are perceived as influenced by social stereotypes, particularly within education and the labor market.