Att vara muslim i Sverige: En studie av svenska muslimers identitetskonstruktion i ljuset av globalisering och (post)koloniala narrativ

Sammanfattning: This study concerns ways in which Muslims in Sweden construct their identities. The theoretical approach of the study is based on the assumption that people construct their identities through narratives. Circumstances such as time, place, and relationships affect how narratives are told and therefore how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. In the wake of 11th of September 2001, the old colonial narrative of ?the West vs. the East? has become powerful, and makes many question the possibility of successfully integrating Muslims immigrants in Western countries. But the processes of globalization also provide us with the possibility of hybridizing identities and cultures - for instance a Western Swedish Muslim identity. The main purpose of the study is to see whether the dichotomizing colonial narratives dominate the identity construction of Muslims in Sweden, or if tendencies of hybridization of identities can be traced. The results of the study show that both trends can be found. There is, in effect, not one Muslim Identity, but different ways of constructing Muslim identities with regard to varying narratives, depending on the circumstances. The study shows, however, that we need further academic attention regarding how Muslims construct their identities in Sweden.