Abstract The thesis examines Finnish social workers’ understandings of racism. The research task is to view how professionals understand racism as a phenomenon, how they perceive social work’s role in relation to racialization and racism and how they understand the complex relationship between race and gender in the Nordic context. The data consists of two focus group interviews and three indepth interviews conducted with child welfare professionals. Qualitative content analysis is used as an analysis method. Anti-racist social work and intersectionality are presented as a theoretical framework in the thesis. Anti-racist social work is part of the tradition of anti-oppressive theory, where societal power structures are raised to the centre of attention. Race is understood as a socially constructed power hierarchy enabling privileged and oppressed positions. The concept of intersectionality refers to the similar nature of all power structures, where all forms of oppression are understood as mutually constructed. The findings suggest that racism is infrequently recognized in social work practices. The dominant approach in Finland emphasizes cultural competence, while the importance of anti-racism remains scarce. The gender equality discourse is especially strong in relation to immigration. Immigrant women are often portrayed as victims of their culture, and gendered violence is explained through culture. The thesis suggests that racism is rarely accounted as a cause when viewing problems in racialized families. Combining anti-racism and intersectionality while reinforcing critical reflection on social workers’ stance and privileges is proposed as a method for improving social work practice.

In this thesis I interview three Swedish-born or raised racialized gay and bisexual individuals. The purpose is to examine the interviewees' experiences of being racialized and gay/bisexual in Sweden, and how they handle their experiences on an individual level. To do so I use queer theory and Sara Ahmed's phenomenology.I find that whiteness plays a crucial role in the interviewees' lives. Due to a homonationalistic logic, the interviewees are often assumed to be heterosexual. At the same time, a homonationalistic logic leads them closer to whiteness and sometimes enables them to pass as white when “coming out” as gay or bisexual. Furthermore, I find that dating white can serve both as a protection against racism and generate benefits, while it also comes with a risk in form of racism, fear of racism or lack of support when exposed to racism. These experiences have led some of the interviewees to date mainly racialized people as a form of resistance. The thesis also shows that the interviewees often feel excluded in LGBTQ gatherings and places due to being racialized, but at the same time feel safe in relation to their sexuality. All interviewees raise antiracist organization as a way of handling the feeling of being out of place in white LGBTQ-contexts.

Denna uppsats ämnar att studera ungdomars upplevelser av att leva som muslimer i Sverige, bemötandet av människor i förhållande till deras religion samt hur detta påverkar deras känsla av tillhörighet till Sverige. Datamaterialet har samlats in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta unga muslimer som har en icke-europeisk bakgrund. Studien använder de teoretiska begreppen rasifiering och tillhörighet. Resultatet i studien visar på att de unga muslimerna har upplevt en svårighet att utöva sin religion i Sverige, exempelvis när det kommer till att finna tid för bönen, att fasta samt ha tillgång till halalmat. Upplevelse av negativt bemötande i form av främlingsfientlighet, rasism samt diskriminering i relation till deras religion och etnicitet var även förekommande för flera av intervjupersonerna. Samtliga unga muslimer uttryckte att detta haft en påverkan på deras tillhörighetskänsla i Sverige då de till varierande grad upplevde en känsla av exkludering från det svenska samhället. Däremot har flera av intervjupersonerna funnit en samhörighet med andra individer i de egna bostadsområdena som befinner sig i en liknande situation som de själva när det kommer till tro och etnicitet. / This study aims to examine young people’s experiences of living as Muslims in Sweden, treatment from other people in relation to their religion and how it affects their feeling of belonging in Sweden. The data material has been collected through semi-structured interviews with eight young Muslims with a non-European background. The study uses the theoretical concepts of racialization and belonging.The results in the study shows that the young Muslims had experienced a difficulty in practicing their religion in Sweden for example when it comes to finding time for prayer, being able to fast and having access to halal food. The experience of being negatively met in the form of xenophobia, racism and discrimination in relation to their religion and ethnicity was also occurred among several of the interviewees. All the young Muslims expressed that this has influenced their sense of belonging in Sweden as they in varying degrees had felt a feeling of exclusion from the Swedish society. On the other hand, several of the interviewee shad found a community among other individuals in their neighborhoods who were in a similar situation in regard to their beliefs and ethnic background.

Arbetslivet kan vara en plats där man får utveckla sin kompetens, möta och samspela med människor. Dock är inte allt frid och fröjd för alla i arbetslivet, det finns lagar som ska följas för att upprätthålla en god arbetsmiljö som inte alltid efterlevs. I ett land som Sverige finns det också en stor mångfald i arbetslivet med olika bakgrunder. När man är del av den mångfalden kan man också bli den som sticker ut då man inte tillhör majoriteten. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att undersöka rasifierade kvinnors erfarenheter av diskriminering och mikroaggressioner på arbetsplatsen, samt vilka olika strategier kvinnorna utvecklar för att hantera mikroaggressioner. Med ett socialpsykologiskt betraktelsesätt studeras detta med hjälp av teorier om postkolonialism och social identitet. Utöver teorierna inkluderas även begrepp såsom intersektionalitet, coping och mikroaggressioner. Tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med rasifierade kvinnor i åldrarna 20 till 40 år som har erfarenhet av vårt valda fenomen genomfördes. Resultaten visar att de flesta svarande beskrev att etnisk diskriminering förekom "under ytan". Det förekom synliga mikroaggressioner riktade mot deras etniska bakgrund som skämtkommentarer med rasistiska undertoner. De upplevde även en kombination av båda aspekterna, men det har varit avgörande beroende på sammanhanget. Copingstrategier, emotionella och konfronterande, var ett alternativ som våra respondenter använde när det kom till att hantera svåra situationer på jobbet. Resultatet indikerade också att de intersektionella positionerna kön och etnicitet haft en betydande roll för hur kvinnorna har blivit behandlade. / Worklife can be a place where you can develop your skills, meet and interact with people. However, not everything is peace and joy for everyone in the worklife, there are laws that must be followed to maintain a good working environment that is not always complied with. In a country like Sweden, there is also a great diversity in working life with different backgrounds. When you are part of that diversity, you can also be the one who stands out as you do not belong to the majority. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine racialized women's experiences of discrimination and microaggression in the workplace, as well as the different strategies women develop to deal with microaggression. With a social psychological approach, this is studied with the help of theories of postcolonialism and social identity. In addition to the theories, concepts such as intersectionality, coping and micro-aggressions are also included. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with racialized women aged 20 to 40 who have experience of our chosen phenomenon. The results show that most respondents described that ethnic discrimination existed "below the surface". There were visible micro-aggressions directed at their ethnic background as joke comments with racist undertones. They also experienced a combination of both aspects, but it has been crucial depending on the context. Coping strategies, emotional and confrontational, were an option that our respondents used when it came to dealing with difficult situations at work. The results also indicated that the intersectional positions of gender and ethnicity played a significant role in how women were treated.

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As the Twin Towers fell on September 11th of 2001, so fell the U.S. domestic citizenry’s Fourth Amendment right to search, seizure, and general privacy. Beyond the Fourth Amendment, various legal barriers put up to protect citizens’ rights through the advancement of surveillance technology throughout the twentieth century would also fall, succumbing to just one piece of legislation and its subsequent restructuring of government powers: the USA PATRIOT Act. This expansion was explained through the lens of state-of-emergency during war time. The precedence of states-of-emergency as a period when legal and bureaucratic boundaries can be crossed to serve the greater good allowed for the execution of drastic surveillance measures which would previously be confined by the boundaries of law, and to a grieving public and a government scrambling for some sense of national security, this seemed to be the appropriate course of action. But simple state-of-emergency or war-time operations cannot serve to explain the existing capacity for conducting surveillance that the U.S. government seemed to already have within their arsenal, ready to employ on a wide scale. The analysis of domestic surveillance history to follow raises a particular kind of state-of-emergency, a racial state-of-emergency. This notion involves domestic, racial groups and organizations, disenfranchised from legality through perceptions of race, that may serve as playgrounds for surveillance development outside of public scrutiny. It is through these instances, when the existence of racial hierarchies allows for the framing of the political nonconformity of certain racial groups as a valid threat to national safety, that surveillance capacity may be expanded; it is the culmination of instances which allow for surveillance institutions to possess the capability to enact a full-force surveillance state without delay or barrier.

Workplace discrimination exists in the Swedish work environment. Minority groups (such as immigrants, persons from ethno-racial backgrounds different from the majority population, persons of non-normative sexual orientation, gender, or religious background) may experience discrimination or the fear of possible exposure to discrimination in the workplace. This presents an additional form of stress referred to as ‘minority stress’. Minority Stress is added stress to general stressors experienced by all people that is unique to minority groups. In the workplace, workplace discrimination is a psychosocial risk factor which could lead to minority stress. To address this risk, studies aimed at eliminating health and other disparities requires quality and methodologically sound research on racial/ethnic minorities, yet little guidelines are available. This thesis aims to bridge this gap and adopts ethno-racialization and participatory research frameworks to elicit the views and opinions of eight (8) ethno-racialized minorities in Sweden on how survey items investigating workplace discrimination in Sweden could be designed in a sensitive, non-stigmatizing manner that does not reinforce negative stereotypes. Study participants included five men and three women aged between 18 – 45 years old recruited through opportunistic, snowball sampling technique, with Swedish work experience between1 – 10 years, and working across academia, hospitality, communication, and health sectors. Participants responded to survey questionnaire and were interviewed on four key areas: Demographics; Ethno-racialization questions; Sample of various wordings on discrimination questions and Technology related questions regarding data collection, storage, and access.The result from this study show that “language” used in the wording of survey questions directed at ethno-racialized minorities is an important element if/how they respond and interpret questions. In this regard, using unclear and indirect language that is vague, ambiguous in survey questionnaire could lead to multiple interpretations and impact the validity of data collected. The study also found that ethno-racialized persons are not a homogenous group and as such, how they interpret and respond to survey questions indicate differences and reflect their individual preferences. The study concludes that survey items investigating workplace discrimination among ethno-racialized minorities should be designed using language that is direct and considers the varied opinions and perspectives of members of the group – that is, ethno-racialized minorities come from diverse backgrounds and their views are not homogenous.

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