Vägen till Paris : En studie av svenskars diasporiska gemenskap & transnationella relationer i en europeisk metropol

Sammanfattning: This thesis explores swedes and the Swedish community in Paris as a diaspora and not simply as forming a temporary, touristic and fragmented stance. The case is set within the specific locality of Paris and considers the historic relationship between the two countries. This, alongside Frances’ policies towards immigration constitutes the context of the Swedish diaspora in Paris. Furthermore, the studied diaspora is viewed partly in relation to other diasporas in France, such as the African, the Kurdish, the Chinese and the Scottish – all facing different conditions as a diasporic group.  The material for this study was assembled through qualitative interviews and analysed with a qualitative content analysis approach. Furthermore, it was analysed in the light of diasporic and transnationalism theories. Through the analyses we see how swedes in Paris fulfil many of the criteria of a diasporic group which is featured in the theoretic literature. They have a dispersion, voluntary and touristic in its form with a focus on the new locality, a homeland orientation where the homeland serves as a present source for values and identity, and boundary-maintenance through a wide range of institutions and social connections. The members of the Swedish diaspora live transnational lives: present in, affected as well as being affected by, both Sweden and France simultaneously. Hence obtaining a form of transborder citizenship, although lacking a political focus. The analysis and discussion paint a picture of a privileged state bound diaspora without a political struggle. They enjoy a high rate of mobility and their ethnic heritage is viewed as an asset – hence no discrimination in the new homeland. The privilege entails the freedom characteristic of that of a nomadic diaspora. However, this nomadic state result in a certain degree of ambivalence and a sense of up rootedness, alongside the positive effects of being at home in two places at the same time. With its extensive mobility and flexibility, which sets it apart from other diasporas, the Swedish population in Paris form a different kind of nomadic and privileged diasporic unit.