Syftet med studien är att få en helhets förståelse för sociala nätverkens betydelse i etableringen på den svenska arbetsmarknaden för arabisktalande och persisktalande individer som har invandrat till Sverige. Studien ämnar även att besvara på hur informanterna använder sitt sociala nätverk för etablering på arbetsmarknaden, på vilket sätt de upplever att kompetenser och kunskap har för betydelse i etableringen på den svenska arbetsmarknaden samt vilken betydelse platsen har för nätverkande och etablering.Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod där sju informanter intervjuades. I ramen av den föreliggande studien använde vi oss av tidigare forskning med en relevant koppling till studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Den insamlade empirin analyserades med utgångspunkt i Hodkinsons och Sparkes Careership-teori, Pierre Bourdieus kapitalteori och Robert D. Putnams teori om sammanbindande och överbryggande socialt kapital. Vidare analyserades deninsamlade empirin utifrån social nätverksanalys. Studiens resultat kring nätverkande pekar på att informanterna har använt sig av olika vägar för etableringen på arbetsmarknaden. Det som framkommer tydligt är att för vissa informanter har sammanbindande och överbryggande socialt kapital haft en betydelse för etableringen. Resultatet visar tydligt att utbildning kan en avgörande betydelse för etableringen. Andra faktorer som kan påverka etableringen är språkkunskapen och arbetslivserfarenheter enligt informanternas berättelser. Vidare har det framkommit att geografiska läget har en nära koppling till informanternas livskontext. Utifrån studiens resultat tyder allt på att det svenska språket är den mest avgörande aspekten för nätverkandet och etableringen. / The purpose of the study is to gain a holistic understanding of the importance of social networks in the establishment in the Swedish labor market for Arabic-speaking and Persian-speaking individuals who have immigrated to Sweden. The study intends to answer how immigrants use their social network to establish themselves in the labor market, it also tends to understand in which way the informants experience that competence and knowledge are important in the establishment in the Swedish labor market. Lastly, it aims to understand what significance the place has for networks and establishment.The study was conducted using a qualitative method where seven informants were interviewed. In the framework of the related study, we used previous research with a relevant connection to the study's purpose and issues. The collected empirical data were analyzed on the basis of Hodkinson's and Sparkes Careership-theory, Pierre Bourdieu's capital theory and Robert D. Putnam's theory of connecting and bridging social capital. Furthermore, the study was conducted with the help of an egocentric network analysis. The results of the study indicate that the informants have used different paths for establishment in the labor market. What is clear is that for some informants, connecting and bridging social capital has been important for the establishment. The results clearly show that education is of crucial importance for the establishment. Other factors that can affect the establishment are language skills and work experience according to the informants’ stories. Furthermore, it has emerged that the geographical location has a close connection to the informants' life context. Based on the results of the study, everything indicates that the Swedish language is the most crucial aspect for networking and establishment.

Textbooks within Swedish for Immigrants aims to teach immigrants the Swedish language and help them understand Swedish society. But one can ask: is there a representative picture of all people in Swedish society in these textbooks? This study aims to analyze which discourses are made visible regarding what kind of people are represented in textbooks for Swedish for Immigrants. Two textbooks from different times are chosen to make a comparison, and to see what and if there has been development in the way one talks about people with non-Swedish and non-white names. The questions asked are: Who is given space in two textbooks for Swedish for Immigrants? And what kind of development has been made within this area between the years 2002 and 2021? The method used is discourse analysis based on a social constructive perspective, which means that people adopt the discourses they read and learn about, which affects the way they see society and how they interact with others. The result shows that similar discourses are found in both textbooks, where three main discourses appear: us and them, Swedish/white is the norm, and immigrants only have lower-paid jobs in society. People with non-Swedish and non-white names are not given as much space in the textbooks as people with Swedish and white names. The older textbook contains of a majority Swedish names whereas the newer textbook contains more international names, but that are considered white names. This shows that there is an us and them-discourse occurring. The us and them-discourse appear in different ways throughout the textbooks and is more implicit in the newer textbook compared to the older. Another example of this discourse is that people with non-Swedish and non-white names are often presented with where they come from, which is not the case for people with Swedish names. This shows that there is a certain way of speaking of people with non-Swedish and non-white names in society. In conclusion, there are more Swedish and white people who are given space in these textbooks for Swedish for immigrants. Considering that immigrants are the target group for these textbooks, there should be a representation of all different people in Swedish society. Seen from a social constructive perspective, immigrants who read these textbooks will adopt these discourses, which will affect how they see Swedish society and how they interact with others. The development discovered between the two textbooks and their almost 20-year difference of release is shown in the discourse of immigrants only having lower-paid jobs. The newer textbook shows no evidence of this discourse whereas it appears in the older textbook. This shows that development has been made in how society thinks of immigrants and their ability to work within any profession.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka unga vuxna invandrares erfarenheter av primärvården. En kvalitativ ansats tillämpas för att söka en djupare förståelse för ämnet och fem semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts. Genom ett snöbollsurval har informanter, bosatta i Mälardalsregionen, valts ut till studien. Informanterna är i åldrarna 24 och 26 år samt har varit bosatta i Sverige i omkring sex år. Resultatet innehåller redogörelser av informanternas erfarenheter av primärvården samt interaktionen med vårdpersonal. Informanterna upplever att deras redogörelser inte blir tagna på allvar och att de inte blir lyssnade till, vilket har lett till upplevelser av att de inte får tillräcklig vård. Vidare framkommer det att språket är en betydande faktor för hur information överförs samt att kontaktmöjligheterna upplevs vara goda. Person-centred care [PCC] kan användas som modell i arbetet om att förbättra möten i primärvården mellan patienter och vårdpersonal. Vidare bidrar modellen till ökad kunskap bland patienter när de får engagera sig i sin egen vård som kan resultera i ökad folkhälsa. PCC kan minska skillnader i hälsa, detta blir av vikt för studiens målgrupp som påvisats ha sämre hälsa än resterande befolkning. Studien påvisar behov av att förbättra möten i primärvården. / The aim of this study is to examine young immigrant adults’ experiences of primary care. The study uses a qualitative approach to seek a deeper understanding of the selected subject, five semi-structured interviews have been made. A snowball sampling was made to find participants living in regions around Mälardalen. The participants are between the ages of 24 and 26 years old and have lived in Sweden for six years. The results contain statements of the informants’ perceptions of the primary care and interactions with the healthcare professionals. The informants experience their statements not being taken seriously and not being listened to, which has led to the experience of not receiving adequate care. Furthermore, the importance of language, when information transfers between patients and healthcare professionals, emerges. The contact opportunities are positively experienced. Person-centred care [PCC] can be used as a model to improve the meetings in primary-care between patients and healthcare professionals. The model can contribute to increased knowledge for patients when they engage in their own care which can contribute to increased public health. For the study’s target group, who are shown to have poorer health, the PCC model becomes important to reduce differences in health. The study shows a need of improving meetings in the primary care.

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of how older Syrian migrants experience aging in Sweden as well as their perspective on needs related to aging and how these needs can be met. The empirical base of the study was eight semi-structured qualitative interviews. In addition, theories about Maslow's hierarchy of needs and social support were applied to the study to enable a further analysis of our respondents' perspectives on aging, perspectives on Swedish elderly care and perspectives on relative support. The result of the study shows that our respondents feel that it is difficult to see how their needs as elderly people can be met. They live in a country with a different language and culture without having any knowledge about the new country. They also believe that the responsibility lies mainly on their relatives instead of searching for help or support from the public elderly care, because they think that the help offered by the elderly care is not prepared to their individual needs. The study concluded that our respondents think that aging in a foreign country does not give the same feeling as aging in their home country. Learning a new language is certainly not easy for them. It is also not easy for them to live in a new society with its norms, culture, and tradition. All of our respondents are dependent on their adult children and need help with various things. This help that children provide for their elderly parents is an obligation in their culture.

This study investigates how Levantine Arabic-speaking immigrant parents´ language ideologies, i.e how they think and feel regarding heritage language maintenance, and language policies influence heritage language maintenance or loss for their children. This overarching topic is explored by examining the following questions; (1) What do parents think about maintenance of heritage language for their children? and which concerns do they have? (2)How do they talk about and describe their children´s readiness or resistance to learn/maintain their heritage language? (3) What do parents believe their role is in maintaining heritage language? (4) In which way, according to parents, does maintenance of heritage language influence children´s construction of identity and sense of belonging? In order to answer these questions, I conducted five semi-structured interviews with five Levantine Arabic-speaking immigrant parents, from Palestine and Syria, residing in Sweden and analysed recurring themes using Braun´s and Clarke´s (2006: 87- 93) thematic analysis method. The study findings show that parents attached great significance to preserving their children's heritage language due to its close relationship with their cultural, religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds as well as strengthening their success opportunities in future. Furthermore, parents stated that their children did not resist maintenance of heritage language. Instead, results show that children were actively involved in discussions about heritage language maintenance and language practices. Parents confirmed that Arabic language is their children's heritage language. In relation to influence of heritage language maintenance on constructing children´s identity and sense of belonging, parents´ views varied between emphasizing its role in strengthening children´s sense of belonging to their Arabic background, allowing them a flexible ability to belong to two different cultures or communities, and that maintenance of heritage language is not the major influencer on constructing children identity. Participants discussed the methods they use to enhance Arabic language among their children, challenges they encounter, and potential solutions.

Syftet med den här studien var att kvalitativt undersöka L3-motivation hos vuxna invandrare som läser engelska (L3) på komvux i Sverige. Motivation undersöktes i relation till samspelet mellan målgruppens behov och mål, det svenska samhället och engelskans globala status. Den metodologiska utgångspunkten togs först och främst i Dörnyeis L2-motivationssjälvbildssystem (2005) och anpassades till studiens kulturella och sociala ramar. Resultaten indikerar att det är en stor sannolikhet att L3-motivation formas och starkt påverkas av vuxna invandrares invandrarskap och bikulturella identitet som har utvecklats i samband med integration i det svenska samhället. Detta framgår av att det svenska samhället och invandrarskapet ofta uppträder som normgivande när det gäller vuxna invandrares studier i engelska. Deras L3-motivationssjälvbildssystem indikerar dessutom att vuxna invandrares syn på den ideala språkliga självbilden är i kongruens med majoritetssamhällets förväntningar och kunskapsvillkor. Resultaten behöver dock valideras i framtiden genom fler studier och större elevpopulationer. / The purpose of this study is to by a qualitative method investigate L3 motivation in adult immigrants who study English (L3) in Sweden. Motivation was investigated in relation to the interplay between the target group’s needs and goals, the Swedish society, and the global status of English. The methodological framework was based on Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System (2005) and it was adapted to the cultural and social context of the study. The results indicate that there is a probability that immigrant identity (Swe. invandrarskap) and a sort of bicultural identity, which have developed in adult immigrants as side effect in the integrational process in the Swedish society, shape and strongly affect L3-motivation. This is supported by the informants’ interview data in which the Swedish society and the immigrant identity often appear as a normative referent for adult immigrants’ English studies. In addition, their L3 motivational self system indicates that adult immigrants’ perception of the ideal language self is in congruity with the majority society’s expectations on knowledge. However, the results need to be validated through more studies and larger student populations in the future.

This predominantly empirical dissertation deals with how socio-economic living conditions and immigrant-specific factors can be linked to immigrants’ mental ill health. It is also explored how cultural representations can affect stress and whether mental ill health is expressed differently among immigrants from Iraq and Iran than among individuals of Nordic origin. Moreover, a conceptual analysis is conducted, where a phenomenological conceptualisation of stress is outlined with a special focus on how this stress approach can be related to culture and migration. The empirical material consists of eleven in-depth interviews with Iraqi and Iranian immigrant women and two population-based surveys. The main findings of this thesis suggest as follows: 1) Mental ill health is more common among foreign-born than among native-born Swedes and can to a great extent be attributed to their poorer socio-economic living conditions. 2) Immigrants’ mental health is independently associated with different types of factors, such as traumatic episodes, socio-cultural adaptation level and socioeconomic living conditions. 3) The self-reporting mental health instruments, HSCL-25 and WHO (ten) Wellbeing Index, produce scores that are comparable between Scandinavians and immigrants of Middle Eastern descent. 4) Nonuniversal representations that can be found in Iraq and Iran can amplify, or even be necessary ingredients in certain types of stressful experiences among immigrant women from these countries. 5) The distinctions between universal and non-universal stress, and between immigrant/minority and non-immigrant/nonminority stress appear to be crucial for an adequate comprehension of immigrants’ stressful experiences. / Denna huvudsakligen empiriska avhandling behandlar hur socioekonomiska levnadsvillkor och invandrarspecifika faktorer kan kopplas till invandrares mentala hälsa. I avhandlingen undersöks även hur kulturella representationer kan påverka stressfulla upplevelser och huruvida mental ohälsa uttrycks annorlunda bland invandrare från Irak och Iran än bland nordbor. Vidare genomförs en begreppsanalys av stress skisserad utifrån ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv. Fokus ligger här på hur ett sådant perspektiv på stress kan relateras till kultur och migration. Det empiriska materialet består av elva djupintervjuer med invandrarkvinnor från Irak och Iran, samt två populationsbaserade enkätundersökningar. De huvudsakliga fynden i denna avhandling är följande: 1) Mental ohälsa bland utrikesfödda är vanligare än bland svenskfödda och detta kan till stor del ”förklaras” av ogynnsammare socioekonomiska levnadsvillkor. 2) Invandrares mentala ohälsa har ett direkt samband med olika typer av faktorer som traumatiska episoder, sociokulturell anpassningsnivå och socioekonomiska levnadsvillkor. 3) Självskattningsinstrumenten för mental hälsa, HSCL-25 och WHO (ten) Wellbeing Index, producerar värden som är jämförbara mellan nordbor och invandrare från Mellanöstern. 4) Icke-universella representationer som kan påvisas i Irak och Iran kan förstärka, eller till och med vara nödvändiga komponenter för vissa typer av stressfulla upplevelser bland invandrarkvinnor från dessa länder. 5) Distinktionerna mellan universell och icke-universell stress, och mellan invandrar/minoritets och icke-invandrar/icke-minoritets stress, tycks vara centrala för en adekvat förståelse av invandrares stressfulla upplevelser.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur olika yrkeskategorier inom vuxenutbildningens utbildning i svenska för invandrare (sfi) verkar tillsammans inom ramarna för verksamheten. Genom individuella intervjuer framkommer möjligheter och svårigheter. Empiri har bearbetats genom tematisk analys. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien är en modell om samarbete, samordning och samverkan genom olika grader av vertikal respektive horisontal integrering av styrningsmekanismer och frivilliga initiativ. Resultatet visar att det förekommer en mängd olika tillfälliga samarbeten. De intervjuade ger exempel på yrkeskategorier som möts i det vardagliga arbetet. Dessutom sker arbete mellan olika yrkeskategorier i en mer samordnad form genom team. Vidare synliggörs respondenternas upplevelser av värdet av att samarbeta, exempelvis stärkta relationer och en bättre arbetsmiljö. Ett annat värde som lyfts fram är den ökade möjligheten för personal att identifiera behov av stöd hos eleverna, som leder till bättre anpassningar av undervisningen. Resultatet visar också hur verksamheten samordnas genom team, samt potential för samverkan. Samverkan mellan yrkeskategorier uppnås inte fullt ut idag inom sfi. Slutsatserna visar att det finns en samsyn hos chefer och övriga yrkeskategorier gällande vilka mekanismer som försvårar respektive möjliggör samverkan. Rutiner för samverkan saknas. Det medarbetarna också efterfrågar är någon som leder arbetet och beslutar att man ska samarbeta och hur det ska gå till. Det vill säga någon som bär ansvaret för att planera, genomföra och följa upp samverkan. / The aim of this study is to investigate how different occupational categories within adult education in Swedish for immigrants (SFI) interact within the framework of their common business. As a method for carrying out the study, I have used qualitative interviews. The data material presents opportunities and difficulties that appear around working together. The empirical material has been processed through thematic analysis. The theoretical starting point for the study is a model of different degrees of vertical and horizontal integration for understanding collaboration. The result shows that there are a variety of temporary collaborations. Through interviews the study give examples of professional categories that meet in everyday work. In addition, work takes place between different professional categories in a more coordinated form through teams. Furthermore, the respondents' experiences of the value of collaborating, such as strengthened relationships and a better working environment, are made visible. Another highlight that is mentioned is the increased possibility for staff to identify the need for support from the students, which leads to better adaptations of teaching. The result also shows how the business is coordinated through teams, and the potential for collaboration. Cooperation between professional categories is not fully achieved today within sfi. The conclusions show that there is a consensus among managers and other occupational categories considering which mechanisms make it difficult or possible to cooperate. There are no routines for collaboration today. What employees also demand is someone who leads the work, makes decisions and bears the responsibility of planning, implementing and following up the collaboration.

Gender politics in Sweden is considered unique because gender policies (jämställdhet) are integrated into national politics and politicised both in the public and the private sphere. The Swedish case is therefore considered a role model by many feminist scholars. This view has been criticised by both post modern feminists and public administration scholars. Critics imply that the increased immigration and more heterogeneous population have led to a new challenge for state institutions. The Swedish model, with its universal welfare solutions, lacks the ability to recognise differences within groups. Universal solutions that treat everyone the same is no longer the most just way to treat people. The growing use of goal orientation in Swedish public administration has increased the civil servants discretion in the implementation process, and thereby the space for differentiated treatment. This thesis aims to study the civil servants that implement gender policies in every day practice. It is focused on their interpretations of gender and gender equality and how this affects their exercise of authority. The thesis is a case study of two authorities in a heterogeneous area – the northern part of Botkyrka. By using a two-fold theoretical approach and combine two perspectives, feminism and a policy analysis, the study analyses how the front-line bureaucrats handle the tension between the universal welfare politics and the demands of the immigrants. The first theoretical approach presents two different feminist perspectives: one that values economic redistribution and one that find it more fair to recognise differences between women. The second approach introduces theories on implementation that makes it possible to study how interpretations have an impact on the exercise of authority in front-line bureaucracies. The main result of the study is that the front-line bureaucrats’ interpretations differ from the national gender politics. They have a more differentiated view of women than the universal Swedish gender politics. The study also shows that front-line bureaucrats tend to attribute negative cultural factors to immigrants. These prejudices find their way through the bureaucracy, into the public administration and the exercise of authority.

“Här kommer våra svenskar!” är en turismvetenskaplig studie som undersöker hur andra generationens invandrare från det forna Jugoslavien beskriver sina motiv till diasporaresor samt hur diasporaresorna påverkar andra generationens invandrare från det forna Jugoslavien identitetsupplevelser. Studien har hållit en kvalitativ ansats där nio informanter intervjuades om deras erfarenheter av diasporaturism. Den tidigare forskning om diasporaturism har legat till grund för vår studie. Majoriteten av den tidigare forskningen om diasporaturism fokuserar på första generationens invandrare. Forskning om andra generationens invandrare i allmänhet och andra generationens invandrare från det forna Jugoslavien i synnerhet är bristfällig. Denna studie påvisar att det finns indikationer på att diasporaturism har en påverkan på identitetsupplevelsen hos andra generationens invandrare från det forna Jugoslavien. Utöver att studiens informanter bekräftar den tidigare forskningens resonemang om diasporaturisters resemotiv kan studien även presentera ett outforskat bakomliggande resemotiv hos informanterna vilka är intressanta implikationer för den framtida forskningen. / “Här kommer våra svenskar!” is an tourism study that studies how second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia describe their motives for diaspora tourism as well as how diaspora tourism effects the individuals perception of identity. This study has used a qualitative methodological approach where the empirical data was collected through nine interviews with second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia concerning their experiences of diaspora tourism. This study shows that there is some indication that diaspora tourism has an effect on second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavias perception of identity. In addition to confirming previous diaspora tourism studies travel motives, this study also puts forward a previously unexplored underlying travel motive which has interesting implication for future tourism studies.