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    STUDIA SOCIOLOGIA - Issue no. 1-2 / 1999-2000  
         
  Article:   THE SWEDISH IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND PARADOXES OF IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION.

Authors:  MIHAELA VANCEA. 		 
       
         
  Abstract:  The Swedish Immigration Experience. Policy Implementation and Paradoxes of Immigrants’ Integration. This study consists of an empirical and analytical discourse on Sweden’s development from immigration policy to integration policy. This development has had a positive contribution on Swedish multiculturalism, but also has created a lot of tensions and problems. To what extent Sweden today can be labelled a "multicultural society" remain the main question of this study. Based on the structural functionalist theoretical approach, the study highlights the main features of the immigration policy in Sweden and the efforts to integrate heterogenous groups of immigrants into the Swedish society. At the same time it analyses the link between the main principles of the Swedish welfare model and the formulation and implementation of the Swedish immigration policy. In the actual context of European “harmonisation” the rise of xenophobia and racism has constituted a problematic paradox in several Western European countries where there has been a high level of immigration. To counteract these phenomena we see very sharp and decided activities from governments and organisations. In the last few decades the grandiose vision of Sweden toward a radical democratic and egalitarian society has been confronted with the considerable problems of integrating large and diverse groups of immigrants. Meanwhile xenophobic and racist views also began to spread in many Swedish municipalities. The introduction of multiculturalist policy represents an interesting aspect in dealing with the immigrantion issue, especially because of the long Swedish homogeneous tradition. The study is starting with a short description of the main characteristics of past and present Swedish immigration. I will also underline how the policies relate to the different features of immigrants and immigration. It will follow an arguable parallel between integration and segregation and at the end a rhetorical discourse on Sweden’s multiculturalism. All the main assumptions will be interpreted by using some empirical studies and surveys that have been already carried out about Swedish immigration.  
         
     
         
         
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