Contesting identities - Sweden's foreign policy and the creation of the Self

Sammanfattning: This paper engages in the study of identity formation in Swedish foreign policy debate. The study is situated within a broad constructivist field of research, drawing upon theoretical debates on subjectivity and the performative making of the state. The study draws upon the notion of ontological security and claims that sub-state actors, just as individuals, search for stable identities and a sense of continuity between self-esteem and action. Through the analysis of policy declarations and parliamentary debates, this study outlines two contrasting narratives of the state of Sweden represented by the two leading political coalitions. The analysis shows how Sweden's state identity continues to move through a process of europeanization while simultaneously experiencing a reawakening of an internationalist foreign policy brand. Sweden's candidature to the United Nations Security Council is used as an example to illustrate this development and to demonstrate the link between biographical narratives and political decision making.