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Syrian refugees in Sweden
A select privileged sample of Syrian refugees produced by the civil war has managed to find a way to migrate through the borders of the European Union, Australia, or Canada, where they were promised a decent chance for a new life and a new home waiting for them. Approximately one million Syrians crossed the Mediterranean towards the European Union since 2011 (BBC, 2016), most of them through expensive, arduous, and fatal trips onboard illegal boats on the world’s deadliest migration route from Turkey, Libya, or Egypt to European shores, where almost 20,000 immigrants, of different citizenships, have drowned since 2014 (IOM, 2020). 178,728 of those Syrian refugees made it through to Sweden, one of the world’s most refugee-friendly countries. Nevertheless, the reality of their new lives in Sweden, for many, was not as ideal as projections. Although their living conditions were significantly better than their countrymen in the Syrian periphery, integration in Sweden, as in Europe generally, has proven to be a long, challenging process for most refugees as well as the receiving countries, leaving many of them jobless, hopeless, and sometimes even homeless.
The success of Syrian refugees’ integration in Sweden, in general, was heatedly debated in the last few years. Some have positive opinions on the matter based on Syrians’ success in the Swedish labor market. Malmö University professor in International Migration, Pieter Bevelander, pointed out that 70% of Syrians who were granted permanent residencies in 2010 have found jobs and expected the same future for the new influx of Syrians (Courthouse News, 2020). Another indication that the integration process has been a success was Sweden’s ranking at the first place out of 38 countries on the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) in terms of integration policy success based on 167 different indicators in eight main policy areas like labor market mobility, education, political participation, family reunion, access to nationality, health, long-term residence and anti-discrimination (Swedish Government, 2017). These facts, however, might have developed positively or negatively seven years on.
Opposing opinions argued against the success of Syrian refugees’ integration based on several studies. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) criticizes the shortages of accommodations for refugees as factors that slowed down their integration process and activities. The organization also highlights the Swedish challenges associated with providing activities to help newly arrived women and new arrivals with lower levels of education to integrate into the labor market (Swedish Government, 2019). Other opinions refer to the sharp surge of anti-immigration far-right party, the Swedish Democrats voters from 5,7% in 2010, to 21% in 2018, as an indicator of failure for the integration process, alongside the increase of criminality rates and religious extremism in inner-city suburbs with a high density of immigrants (The Local, 2017).
As of 2020, 193,594 people born in Syria live in Sweden (SCB, 2021). Most of them provided the country with tremendous human capital as 32% of Syrian-born men, and 31% of Syrian-born women in Sweden had tertiary-level education both in universities and vocational schools since 2017 (Population Europe, 2020). Thousands of Syrian refugees who haven’t had a tertiary education before their arrival in Sweden found success pursuing that route in their new home country. Syrian-born people formed the second biggest immigrant group in Swedish universities behind the Finnish as over 30% of Syrian refugees who have arrived within the significant influx of 2015 and been granted residency permits in 2016 have been admitted to Swedish universities. As for employment rates, a study by SCB on Syrians arrived in 2015 made at the end of 2017 found that only 4574 out of 40019 Syrians over 15 years already supported themselves, 9970 more are funded by student aid, 18,405 get support from state welfare, and 23444 were still under the financial support of the Swedish Public Employment Service’s integration program. Over 70,000 Syrian refugees who have arrived in Sweden after 2011 have already been granted Swedish citizenship (SCB, 2021). However, thousands of Syrian refugees still live with temporary residency permits, as about 40% of the 163456 refugees who sought asylum back in 2015, primarily Syrians, still haven’t been granted permanent residencies (Sveriges Radio, 2020).
Facts About Syria
A Middle-easterner state located on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean on a 185,80km large land surrounded by Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan and Israel to the south, and Lebanon to the west (Britannica, 2021). Syria was home to 21.39 million citizens back in 2010 (Statista, 2021). The civil war then caused millions of casualties and migrations, shrinking the population to 17,86 million citizens by 2021. Syrians come from various ethnicities like Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, Circassians, Turkmen, and others. They also belong to different religious groups like Sunni-Muslims, Shiite-Muslims, Alawites, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Druze, and others (Worldometers, 2021).
Literature review
In a contemporary world with an ever-increasing number of immigrants around the globe, the importance of their integration only grows in parallel. Several theories, concepts, and researches were thus conducted to track, study, and assess the integration process of millions of immigrants, second-generation and third-generation immigrants in different countries. Scholars have studied integration in all its forms, economic, identity, social, or otherwise. They come up with different outcomes and views of the process depending on different aspects like policies, availability of resources, racism, etc. Social integration, in particular, seemed to be affected by even more aspects that might tamper with the process for particular ethnic, social, or religious groups in countries or societies that are less receptive to them than others, therefore, social integration, in my opinion, needs to be studied more closely and individualistically to understand the process for every migrating folk group in every receiving country.
Syrians today form the largest immigrant group in Sweden with over 158,000 Syrian-born people exceeding the traditionally large Finnish-born population in a historic event (SVD, 2017), nonetheless, there was no specific research conducted to assess their social integration in their new country from their own perspective and based on their personal experiences and feelings. Therefore, I have chosen to conduct my research on this very matter in a quest to shed light on a matter I have personally found to be affecting the lives of many Syrians in Sweden and to dedicate my work to alleviate their struggles by delivering their voices and concerns into the spotlight as well as contribute to the field by providing a genuine, in-depth, and comprehensive study on the social integration of Syrian refugees in Sweden. My research is supported with the following previous researches that successfully explained and studied matters in the same field of integration and social integration of Syrians in Sweden or elsewhere.
Learning about oneself as an essential process to confront social media propaganda against the resettlement of Syrian refugees
A Doctoral thesis by Prof. Nadia Naffi (2017) at the University of Concordia in Canada proved valuable to my research as it studies Syrian refugees’ process of social integration and the effects of anti-immigrant media on them. Despite focusing on Syrian refugees in Canada particularly, the thesis was relevant to my thesis. Prof. Naffi illustrates the outcomes of hardships that Syrian refugees actually suffer from in both Sweden in Canada, in addition to the similarities between the social integration process in the two countries. Naffi addressed the harms of the negative image of Syrian refugees caused by false news, anti-immigrant narratives, stereotypes, etc. That was very relevant to the struggles of my informants as they suffered from this particular phenomenon. Naffi also supported my thesis with helpful definitions, evidence, and causalities of social exclusion, social inclusion, and social integration.
Tracking the integration process of Syrian Immigrants, who have fled the Syrian Civil War and settled in Södertälje city, Sweden (2011-2017)
Although this research of Sisil Benjaro (2018) is discussing mainstream integration of Syrian refugees beyond the premises of Social Integration, and the limited selection of informant samples to residents of Södertälje, it has been very valuable and relevant to my thesis. What makes Benjaro’s research applicable is that it still discusses limiting factors of integration that closely affect the process of social integration as well. Benjaro even digs into social and cultural factors that she finds to be a form of limitation of integration as well, these factors have proven very relevant and supportive to my research. More reasons that link Benjaro’s thesis to mine are that her research functions as a case study of the outcomes of ethnically segregated residencies as Södertälje is one of the most high-dense immigrant cities with neighborhoods that house an up to 82% population with an immigrant background like Hovsjö (Legeby, 2010) where several of my informants lived.
From Housing Segregation to Integration in Public Space
Prof. Ann Legeby (2010) provided my research with some very important and relevant facts about housing segregation in metropolitans and the harms caused by it on residents of high-density immigrant areas of first, second, or even third-generation immigrants, as well as the Swedish society as a whole. The findings of this study have related closely to the responses of informants who live in such residential areas as they complained about the exact same disadvantages Legeby had explained in her research. This has supported one of the main reasons that my informants have complained about as a limitation of their social integration in Sweden. The study having been made on Södertälje, one of Sweden’s cities with the highest number of Syrian residents, makes this research even more relevant to my thesis.
Social exclusion: Meaning, measurement and experience and links to heath inequalities
The article of Professor Popay et al. (2008) was the primary source of my understanding of social exclusion. I have learned from this article what I needed for my research on social exclusion, starting with the origins of the concept and the way it has developed in social science to the contemporary meaning of the concept. This paper also provided me with valuable insights on the elements of social exclusion which were colossal to my research, mainly the groups at risk of exclusion, what they are excluded from, the problems associated with social exclusion, the processes driving social exclusion, and the levels at which they operate, and finally, the agents and actors involved in social exclusion.
Theoretical Framework
In this section, I will introduce and explain the theories and concepts utilized in my research and illustrate how they relate to my research and support it. Firstly, I have used Peter Blau’s theory of Social Integration and Hot-Lundstad, Uchino, and Brissette’s definition of it.
Secondly, Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of Social Capital and Cultural Capital were integral to my research. Finally, I have also used the definition of Social Exclusion definitions by Levitas, Garcia Roca, and Kronauer.
Social Integration
As the main focus of this research is to examine the Social Integration of Syrian refugees in Sweden, it is essential to explain the meaning of this term. “Social Integration is a multi-dimensional construct that can be defined as the extent to which individuals participate in a variety of social relationships, including engagement in social activities or relationships and a sense of commonality and identification with one’s social roles” (Hot-Lunstad and Uchino, 2015; Brissette et at, 2000). Blau (1960) offers a different definition of Social Integration which is instrumental in describing the required conditions for the success of the process and the obstacles that might hinder it when he explains: “Social integration prevails in a group if bonds of attraction unite its members. Persons interested in becoming integrated members of a group are under pressure to impress the other members that they would make attractive associates, but the resulting competition for popularity gives rise to defensive tactics that block social integration”.
Social Capital
Pierre Bourdieu (1986) describes social capital as “the aggregate of actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition, or in other words, membership to a group which provides each of its members the backing of the collectively owned capital.” Bourdieu (1986) also explains that social capital is an individual property derived mainly from one’s social position and status. It is a tool that enables a person to exert power on the group or individual who mobilizes the resources. Bourdieu (1986) explains that Social Capital, however, is not uniformly available to all members of a group or society but available exclusively to those who provide efforts to acquire it by taking positions of power and status and developing goodwill. He adds, it is irreducibly attached to class and any forms of stratification that are in turn associated with benefit or advancement. By that, social capital is a self-perpetuating asset for any member of society. This asset grants individuals access to benefit off collective resources that might vary from connections in the labor market, contacts with valuable people, or shortcuts to higher social position or status, to simply gaining more and better personal relationships, which in turn, will increase the individual’s social capital and thus provide them with new potential benefits. The inevitable diminishment of one’s social capital following migration is at the heart of this research. Syrian refugees who left their streets, homes, and memories back in Syria, have also left most of their social connections back there as many of them stayed in the country, migrated to different countries or cities, or lost their lives. Subsequently, most Syrian refugees, like all immigrants, had to compile a new social, sometimes from scratch. This loss of social capital back home, and the process of restoring it in Sweden, are essential to understand the process of social integration of Syrian refugees in Sweden and to measure its success or failure.
Table of contents :
1 Introduction
.1 Background
.2 Reasearch aims and questions
.3 Limitations
.4 Outline..
Background
.1 Syrian refugees in Sweden
.2 Facts about Syria
Literature Review
.1 Learning about oneself as an essential process to confront social media propaganda against the resettlement of Syrian refugees
.2 Tracking the integration process of Syrian Immigrants, who have fled the Syrian Civil War and settled in Södertälje city, Sweden (2011-2017)
.3 From Housing Segregation to Integration in Public Space
.4 Social exclusion: Meaning, measurement and experience and links to health inequalities
Theoretical Framework
.1 Social Integration
.2 Social Capital
.3 Cultural Capital
.4 Social Exclusion
Method
.1 Method
.2 Methodology
.3 Materials
.4 Weaknesses and Strenghts
Analysis and Discussion
.1 Informants’ social capital in Sweden
.2 Informants’ cultural capital in Sweden
.3 Are Syrian refugees socially integrated in Sweden?
.4 Do Syrian refugees feel excluded from Swedish society
.5 To what do the informants ascribe their Social Exclusion?
.5.1 The nature of Swedish society
.5.2 Negative image of Syrians
.5.3 Cultural differences
.5.4 Ethnic Segregation
.5.5 Racism
.5.6 The integration program
Conclusion
.1 Concluding remarks
.2 Suggestions for future research
References
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
