Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

This paper takes as its starting point the complex and ambivalent relationship between Sweden and the phenomenon of migratory movements to the country. Historically, the Scandinavian state has alternately opened and closed its borders to control, filter, and block incoming migration flows. The study of Swedish migration policies can thus shed light on the criteria and justifications put forward to explain entries to the country that have become, increasingly, fragmented and contingent. Through extensive academic literature review and adopting an interpretative and critical view, I argue that Sweden made use in different historical moments of political, legislative, and administrative instruments to manage national borders drawing clear lines of demarcation between those who are welcome and those who are barred from entering the national ground. These lines follow the unstable course of precise political wills that favor specific migrant groups and individuals with certain profiles and characteristics while making access to the country long and difficult for others. These findings are in stark contrast with the commonly shared image of Sweden as a country attentive to discrimination and committed to combating it. Therefore, this paper is relevant for two main reasons. On the one hand, it puts the Scandinavian State and its politics in perspective, analyzing its asylum policies. On the other hand, it explains the recent rise of the far-right party of the Sweden Democrats as the ultimate consequence of a long process of closing national borders.