Constructing cultural Otherness within the Swedish welfare state: The cases of social workers in Sweden

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyze how social workers frame the social problems of immigrant clients in Sweden. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 20 social workers in three different Swedish municipalities. While Swedish social work often assumes a discourse of color-blindness and universalism, this study indicates that Swedish social workers not only see cultural differences but also regard these differences as central when they frame, assess, and formulate their interventions. The discourse of culturalization not only produces and reinforces the ideas of cultural hierarchy and Swedish superiority, but it also tends to obstruct non-European immigrants from equal participation in the Swedish society since they are not allowed to enjoy their full citizenship. Consequently, there is a need for social work in Sweden to rethink its culturalist framework and go beyond cultural reductionism and take into consideration other issues such as unemployment, housing conditions, poverty, social isolation, marginalization, and ethnic discrimination.

Towards understanding the Nordic paradox: A review of qualitative interview studies on intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Sweden

“…Several sources under review have noted tendencies towards making IPVAW into something of an Other, in Sweden and neighboring Nordic countries. The Swedish discourse of gender equality, central to the national self‐image (Gottzén, ), aligns with views on IPVAW as committed by individuals and groups deviating from “ordinary” men in “normal” heterosexual relationships, within the gender‐equal majority culture (Agevall, ; Brännvall, ; Eliassi, ; Rejmer et al, ). Gottzén () points to a dichotomous relationship between the “regular man” and the “woman abuser” in Sweden, as IPVAW is “primarily seen as conducted by men in other cultures and in other times” (Gottzén, , p. 165).…”

“…Studies have focused on experiences of IPV among young people (Gottzén & Korkmaz, 2013;Jeffner, 1998;Uhnoo, 2011;Wiklund et al, 2010), and women with mental illness (Bengtsson-Tops, Saveman, & Tops, 2009) or addiction (Augustsson & Kuno, 2006;Holmberg, Smirthwaite, & Nilsson, 2005), and among immigrated women (Andersson & Lundberg, 2000;Fernbrant et al, 2013) and social service practitioners working with this group (Andersson & Lundberg, 2000;Eliassi, 2015;Keskinen, 2011;Olsson & Bergman, 2018).…”

“…In conclusion, while Keskinen (2011) points to the importance of not bypassing IPVAW perpetrated or suffered by persons with migration backgrounds, the studies briefly referenced above show that a simple dichotomy of genderequal nonviolent Swedish citizens and violent patriarchal foreigners does not hold up to scrutiny. Meanwhile, the framing of IPVAW as something that only occurs in non-Swedish cultures contributes to rendering inequality and IPVAW in Sweden invisible (SOU, 2004:121), while simultaneously feeding into xenophobic anti-immigration discourses (Eliassi, 2015).…”

“We are not weak, we just experience domestic violence”—Immigrant women's experiences of encounters with service providers as a result of domestic violence

“…Service providers' understanding of culture seems to be important when they meet women with immigrant backgrounds who experience domestic violence. According to a recent study conducted by Norwegian and Swedish researchers, social workers in these two countries understand immigrant challenges as a result of cultural differences and not as a result of an unequal power balance or the immigrant's position in these two societies (Eliassi, ; Križ & Skivenes, ). There is also a tendency to stereotype domestic violence as part of some ethnic groups' culture (Menjívar & Salcido, ).…”

Intersectional patterns of social assistance eligibility in Sweden

“…However, it also implies inevitable elements of categorization that might affect the ways in which help-seeking persons' needand eligibilityfor support are assessed (e.g. Eliassi 2015;Kullberg 2005;Fahlgren and Sawyer 2005). Yet, little is known about the paths between applications for and payments of the subsidy, particularly in relation to applicants' intersectional positions.…”