Search

Every year, a big number of Swedish municipalities market themselves through an Emigration fair in Holland, with the aim to attract Dutch workforce, or more generally, bring new inhabitants to their respective region. In the marketing campaigns, specific stereotypic images of Sweden emerge, that are said to be specifically attractive to the putative Dutch migrants. The municipal representation in the fair began in 2006, and since then the participation has been steadily high and well documented in local newspapers and other media. This study, through a discourse analysis of press material from 2006-2019, investigates which kinds of narratives that are being created around Dutch migrants, and how these can be understood to relate to images of ’Swedishness’ and it is further explored how ideas of ’Europeanness’ and ’whiteness’ come to play through these. The study finds that alongside ideas of shared ’European values’, a perceived similarity between Dutch and Swedish ’culture’ and values influence the ways these migrants are understood to be able to contribute to Swedish society and welfare. This perceived likeness can be seen as strongly shaped by notions of ’whiteness’, of the Swedish nation and of the Dutch migrants, as portrayed in the material. At the same time as creating a sense of belonging and basis for inclusion for some, this simultaneously forms boundaries for exclusion of groups of people that are created as ’different’ or ’Other’.

Every year, a big number of Swedish municipalities market themselves through an Emigration fair in Holland, with the aim to attract Dutch workforce, or more generally, bring new inhabitants to their respective region. In the marketing campaigns, specific stereotypic images of Sweden emerge, that are said to be specifically attractive to the putative Dutch migrants. The municipal representation in the fair began in 2006, and since then the participation has been steadily high and well documented in local newspapers and other media. This study, through a discourse analysis of press material from 2006-2019, investigates which kinds of narratives that are being created around Dutch migrants, and how these can be understood to relate to images of ’Swedishness’ and it is further explored how ideas of ’Europeanness’ and ’whiteness’ come to play through these. The study finds that alongside ideas of shared ’European values’, a perceived similarity between Dutch and Swedish ’culture’ and values influence the ways these migrants are understood to be able to contribute to Swedish society and welfare. This perceived likeness can be seen as strongly shaped by notions of ’whiteness’, of the Swedish nation and of the Dutch migrants, as portrayed in the material. At the same time as creating a sense of belonging and basis for inclusion for some, this simultaneously forms boundaries for exclusion of groups of people that are created as ’different’ or ’Other’.