Vad händer i orten? : En diskussion kring narrativet om "utsatta områden" i Sverige

Sammanfattning: This essay discusses the lived experiences and opinions of people living or working in so-called “vulnerable areas” in Sweden, predominantly in relation to issues of immigration and organized crime. Theoretically, the study uses Pierre Bourdieu’s framework surrounding capital and habitus and Norbert Elias concept of “the outsiders and the established”, while also drawing on the work of Gregory Bateson, Edward Said and more. This discourse analysis is based on empirical findings and interviews from fieldwork made in vulnerable areas in and around the Stockholm region, and aims to problematize the general discourse surrounding immigrants and their place in Swedish society by contrasting the views of the local population to the general narrative surrounding the areas. Generally, in Swedish media and amongst political representatives, vulnerable areas are often portrayed as dangerous areas inhabited primarily by immigrants, that culturally differs from the rest of Sweden and thus is seen to exist outside of general Swedish society. This essay argues the point of the studies respondents, which is that while it is to an extent understandable that these areas are associated with gang violence and disarray, it is highly stigmatizing and further drives a dichotomization between swedes and “non-swedes”. It also overlooks decades of exposure to segregation and socioeconomic disadvantages that migrant populations in Sweden have been subjected to, that has led to poverty and a subsequent rise in crime, as well as the emergence of parallel societies within Sweden.