Swedish civil society mobilises in response to refugees’ ‘bare life’

ABSTRACT

In 2015, Sweden welcomed asylum-seekers from the mass exodus in what became known as the ‘European refugee crisis.’ However, as Swedish public perceptions of refugees shifted from sympathy to fear, the government enacted policy changes that eroded unaccompanied minor refugees’ (UMRs) rights. After witnessing refugees’ ‘bare life’ by seeing them denied politicised citizens’ rights, Sweden's civil society mobilised to assist these vulnerable young people. This paper focuses on what causes citizens to mobilise into humanitarian actors. We interviewed nineteen members of a helping network called Vi Står Inte Ut (We Can't Stand It), investigating their reasons for mobilising. Using sentiment analysis, we identified ‘high points’ or salient experiences by evaluating participants’ sentiments and linguistic cues, with many centreing on witnessing bare life. Some participants were activated through individual experiences, while policies or events, like mass deportations, moved others. Many participants had varied cumulative experiences, but most high points occurred in response to the enactment of unjust policies, with many ultimately distrusting their government. Crucially, knowledge of citizen mobilisation is essential in the wake of new migration flows, coupled with the routine inadequacies demonstrated by Western governments in response to such crises.

ABSTRAKT

2015 välkomnade Sverige asylsökande från det massiva exodus som kom att benämnas ‘den europeiska flyktingkrisen.' När den svenska allmänhetens uppfattningar om flyktingar skiftade från sympati till rädsla, implementerade regeringen lagändringar som eroderade ensamkommande minderåriga flyktingars rättigheter. Efter att ha bevittnat flyktingarnas 'nakna liv' och sett hur de förnekades grundläggande mänskliga rättigheter, mobiliserade sig civilsamhället för att hjälpa dessa utsatta ungdomar. Denna artikel fokuserar på vilka faktorer som får medborgare att börja agera som humanitära aktörer. Vi intervjuade nitton medlemmar i det hjälpande nätverket VSIU (Vi Står Inte Ut) och undersökte deras personliga skäl till att aktivera sig i nätverket. Med hjälp av sentimentanalys utvärderade vi deltagarnas känslomässiga ’högpunkter’; framträdande upplevelser och språkliga ledtrådar som ofta cirkulerade kring bevittnandet av det nakna livet. Vissa deltagare aktiverades på grund av individuella erfarenheter, medan andra berördes av större politiska händelser, som massdeportationer. Många deltagares upplevelser var kumulativa men de högsta punkterna i känsloanalysen korrelerade med implementeringen av vad som uppfattades som orättvisa politiska beslut, med djup misstro till den egna staten som resultat. Grundläggande kunskap om hur medborgare mobiliseras i kölvattnet av nya migrationsflöden, i kombination med återkommande allvarliga brister i västvärldens respons till sådana kriser, påvisas och analyseras.

KEYWORDS:

• Refugees
• unaccompanied minor refugees
• human rights
• bare life
• helping network

NYCKELORD:

• flyktingar
• ensamkommande minderåriga flyktingar
• mänskliga rättigheter
• naket liv
• hjälpande nätverk

Data availability statement

Data available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions. The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Act (2016:752) on temporary restrictions on obtaining a residence permit in Sweden. https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2016752-om-tillfalliga-begransningar-av_sfs-2016-752

2 https://www.regeringen.se/artiklar/2015/11/regeringen-foreslar-atgarder-for-att-skapa-andrum-for-svenskt-flyktingmottagande/

3 https://www.migrationsverket.se/Andra-aktorer/Kommuner/Om-gymnasielagen.html

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by UML seed grant: [Grant Number ].

Notes on contributors

Amber Horning

Amber Horning is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. For nearly a decade, they have researched forced migration and human trafficking. They have extensive fieldwork experience with hidden populations and conducting qualitative studies. Dr. Horning has conducted research internationally and nationally and has published in high level journals such as the Journal of Refugee Studies, Sociological Perspectives and the Journal of Human Trafficking. Dr. Horning has an interdisciplinary background and they use innovate mixed-methods approaches.

Sara Jordenö

Sara Jordenö is a filmmaker, visual artist, researcher and Assistant Professor of Film & Video at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Their practice resides in the intersection of art, activism, visual sociology and documentary cinema. Jordenö’s work often concerns advanced marginality, social movements and LGBTQIA rights. Jordenö directed the documentary feature film KIKI about a youth-led social movement for LGBTQIA youth of colour in NYC. The film was co-written together with community leader Twiggy Pucci Garcon. KIKI premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016, has been shown in over 200 film festivals around the world and had theatrical releases in Sweden, the US and the UK. Jordenö is the recipient of numerous awards such as an Art Matters Award (2012) the Teddy Award for Best Documentary Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (2016), the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights (2016) and the Edstrandska Award (2019).

Catherine Stevens

Catherine Stevens is currently obtaining her PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She holds a BSc in Psychology and an and MSc in Investigative and Forensic Psychology from the University of Liverpool, UK. Catherine researches emergency management and decision making within volatile and uncertain environments (e.g., natural disasters, emergency service contexts, etc.) at both the civilian and practitioner level. Catherine’s wider interests focus on individual agency and human security. She has presented her research at the 4th International Conference on Missing Children and Adults in Liverpool which explored the safeguarding of vulnerable missing suicidal and non- suicidal individuals. She also has five years of volunteering experience with refugees and witnesses giving evidence in criminal court cases.

Tanja Dejanova

Tanja Dejanova is currently the Project Coordinator Alternatives to Imprisonment Europe. She has a MA in Forensic Psychology from the University of Liverpool. She has worked and studied at-risk and in-need populations both in and outside of the criminal justice system in Europe, the US and Mexico. Ms. Dejanova’s work is informed by a strong belief in equality and the power of crossing cultural and educational barriers.