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Civil Society and Social Integration of Asylum Seekers: The ‘Strength of Weak Ties’ and the Dynamics of ‘Strategic Action Fields’

Author

Listed:
  • Lennart Olsson

    (Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden)

  • Anne Jerneck

    (Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden)

  • Claudia Fry

    (Environment and Migration: Interactions and Choices Section (EMIC), United Nations University, D-53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Anika Binte Habib

    (Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

The dramatic increase of asylum seekers entering the EU in 2015 profoundly changed migration politics in many EU countries. Not least in Sweden which accepted more migrants per capita than any other EU country but then swung abruptly to become among the strictest recipient countries. We use Sweden as a critical and extreme case to argue that the rapid shift in asylum politics and public opinion towards migration is not profoundly shared in society. Based on a local media analysis of three types of purposively selected rural municipalities followed by the analysis of a survey of civil society organizations sent to all 290 municipalities in Sweden, we find strong civil society support and willingness to both receive migrants and facilitate their integration into society. Despite increasing votes for political parties with anti-migration policies, we also find remarkably positive attitudes towards migrants in civil society organizations and among citizens in the EU27 barometer for Sweden. The upshot is optimism that civil society can balance the anti-immigration governance imposed by both left and right political regimes and that populism will succeed only if it has the capacity to thoroughly transform civil society attitudes—which we doubt.

Suggested Citation

  • Lennart Olsson & Anne Jerneck & Claudia Fry & Anika Binte Habib, 2023. "Civil Society and Social Integration of Asylum Seekers: The ‘Strength of Weak Ties’ and the Dynamics of ‘Strategic Action Fields’," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:7:p:403-:d:1191597
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Neil Fligstein & Alina Polyakova & Wayne Sandholtz, 2012. "European Integration, Nationalism and European Identity," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(S1), pages 106-122, March.
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