‘Civil Society Hospitality’: Welcoming Initiatives and Pragmatism Targeting Unaccompanied Youth in Malmö

Abstract

This article presents the notion of 'civil society hospitality ', addressing welcoming initiatives that open spaces and provide services to unaccompanied youth in Malmö. The article contributes to the literature on bottom-up humanitarianism and focuses on hospitality practices and their limits. Through semi-structured interviews with key civil society actors and attending key events, the article argues that civil society faces limitations in providing services that are embedded in the law and in funding constraints that shift their efforts towards pragmatism with the goal of 'bringing back in' those excluded from a changing social democratic welfare model. On the other hand, the bottom-up initiative of creating a welcoming space is also seen as a form of subversion of migration governance. Civil society hospitality in Malmö illustrates how the guest/host divide is reshaped, contested and reaffirmed. By tracing the services offered within the welcoming initiatives of civil society, this article offers insights into how actors attempt to shape a safe open space that contests current migration governance, but also cooperates with state actors.