Climate change is one of the greatest challenges currectly facing humanity. Its impacts lead to the displacement of people through sea level rise, desertification, drought, flood and other ecological disaster. The global imbalance of power results in people being unequally affected by climate change. This power imbalance affects the policy-making of intergovernmental institutions and knowledge production in policy processes. This thesis conducts a policy analysis to elaborate colonial continuities that influence knowledge production on migration and climate change. Therefore, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) is examined. The theoretical framework of the thesis draws on knowledge and power, modernity/coloniality, and racial capitalism. Findings suggest that the influences of colonial continuities on knowledge production about climate change and migration are reflected in underlying colonial epistemological and ontological assumptions, power structures and the hegemonic discourse. Alternative knowledges, such as those contributed by civil society actors are side-lined during the process and not included in the final document. The GCM does not consider the link between environmental change and racial capitalism or colonial power imbalance, but looks at only one of the adaptation strategies and presents it as a problem: human migration. Instead of addressing the root of the problem and holding polluting countries accountable for their inaction, the GCM focuses on migration control.

Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic are two recent crises whose combined effects exacerbated the exclusion of irregular migrants in Europe. In this thesis, I will explore the structure-agency linkages that shaped the everyday survival strategies of irregular Filipino migrants (IFMs) in navigating a post-Brexit, mid-pandemic UK. Using Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson’s frameworks of political-civil society, differential inclusion, and internal borders, I examine how IFMs exercised their agency against the “formal” rules of the state as well as the “informal” rules set by fellow social actors. The themes that emerged from the analysis underscored the long-debated sociological tensions between structure and agency. Among these, the most recurring one is that IFMs’ agency were expanded or delimited by their positionality vis-à-vis various social actors such as employers, landlords, co-tenants, “benevolent” individuals, and immigration middlemen. This necessitates further studies that could link these micro-level structurations to the broader epistemic shifts within Europe’s migration governance framework.

The purpose of this research is to create opportunities to promote social inclusion through Nature-Based Integration (NBI), aiming to understand the social construction of nature from a sociocultural perspective. Social constructivist theories have been employed in the field of migrant integration, however, a social constructivist standpoint has not yet been applied in the emerging sub-field of NBI. In contrast to applications of social cohesion theory in NBI, this thesis argues that applying the social constructivist theory highlights important differences that assist NBI projects by applying the knowledge of socio-cultural understandings of nature. This thesis thus provides a critique of the application of social cohesion to NBI initiatives, instead offering a case for social constructivism as an alternate framework. The analysis is based on a case study conducted within Kronoberg County in Sweden, utilizing interviews and observations to acquire insights into migrant and Swedish perspectives and experiences in natural environments. Understanding how nature can help with integration is beneficial for fostering inclusive and peaceful societies. This study investigated how experiences with the environment help migrants and Swedish citizens build social relationships, cultural understanding, and collective identity. Qualitative data from informal interviews give insight into individuals' perspectives, and observations provide knowledge of the community's common experiences. This study delves into connotations associated with natural areas, illustrating how nature is socially constructed from different positions. Adopting a comparative method, the study reveals possible shared and opposing meanings assigned to nature-based experiences. The analysis provides a case for applying social constructivism in NBI projects, as this offers a platform for migrant and Swedish communities to collaborate and exchange knowledge on the role of nature in their social lives. / Syftet med denna forskning är att skapa möjligheter att främja social integration genom Nature-Based Integration (NBI), i syfte att förstå naturens sociala konstruktion ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Socialkonstruktivistiska teorier har använts inom området migrantintegration. En socialkonstruktivistisk ståndpunkt har dock ännu inte tillämpats inom det framväxande delområdet av NBI. I motsats till tillämpningar av social sammanhållningsteori i NBI, hävdar denna avhandling att tillämpningen av den socialkonstruktivistiska teorin lyfter fram viktiga skillnader som hjälper NBI-projekt genom att tillämpa kunskapen om sociokulturell förståelse av naturen. Den här avhandlingen riktar därför kritik mot tillämpningen av social sammanhållning på NBI-initiativ, och erbjuder istället ett argument för socialkonstruktivism som ett alternativt ramverk. Analysen baseras på en fallstudie genomförd inom Kronobergs län, med hjälp av intervjuer och observationer för att få insikter om migranters och svenska perspektiv och erfarenheter i naturliga miljöer. Att förstå hur naturen kan hjälpa till med integration är fördelaktigt för att främja inkluderande och fredliga samhällen. Denna studie undersökte hur erfarenheter av miljön hjälper migranter och svenska medborgare att bygga sociala relationer, kulturell förståelse och kollektiv identitet. Kvalitativ data från informella intervjuer ger insikt i individers perspektiv och observationer ger kunskap om samhällets gemensamma erfarenheter. Denna studie fördjupar sig i konnotationer förknippade med naturområden och illustrerar hur naturen är socialt konstruerad från olika positioner. Genom att anta en jämförande metod avslöjar studien möjliga delade och motsatta betydelser som tilldelas naturbaserade upplevelser. Analysen ger ett argument för att tillämpa socialkonstruktivism i NBI-projekt, eftersom detta erbjuder en plattform för migranter och svenska samhällen att samarbeta och utbyta kunskap om naturens roll i deras sociala liv.

Over the last few years, there has been a rise in alternative media in Sweden as well as in otherEuropean countries. Although alternative media has proven to have more impact on attitudesthan traditional media, the field has been given limited attention. Left-wing media, in particular,has been given little thought by scholars and comparative discourse studies of alternative mediaacross the left-right spectrum has up till now not been achieved. . In this study, alternative mediais explored with a migration approach to understand how Muslims are discursively depicted inalternative right-wing and left-wing media. Through a media-political populism approach, thisstudy indicates that right-wing alternative media depict Muslims as ‘the elite’, whereasalternative left-wing media depict Muslims as ‘the people. Furthermore, the analysis finds thatalternative media make use of populist strategies to further their political stance. Finally, findingssuggests that further research expand on the definition of alterative media

The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences from the Swedish labor marketamong some foreign-born women. To answer the purpose, the following questions wereformulated:- Has it been easy or difficult for the foreign-born women to find work in Sweden?- How have the foreign-born women been treated by employers and work colleagues in theworkplace?- How and for what reason do the foreign-born women feel that they have been discriminatedagainst in a working life context? What experiences do they have?Based on a qualitative research method, five interviews were conducted with foreign-bornwomen who have been, and are, active in Swedish working life. The study showed that all ofthe participating women have felt that they have been discriminated against in the Swedishlabor market. In various ways, they have perceived that they have been disadvantaged andthereby not given the same conditions as domestically born when they have applied for workor the same opportunities for permanent employment, despite education. The women havefelt that they have been discriminated against because of their foreign background and forcultural and religious reasons. They have also been treated badly by their work colleagueswho have not allowed them to become part of the working community, and have gotten thefeeling that their foreign background has been the reason for the exclusion. The womenexperience that reasons for discrimination have, for example, been their foreign name, thatthey wear a veil, that they do not speak perfect Swedish and they have been met withprejudice, ignorance and the feeling that they have been opted out and excluded from thelabor market, both by employers and colleagues. The women have felt bullied, violated andquestioned in their working life. / Nej

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR, 2023), some 117.2 million people will be forcibly displaced or stateless by 2023. In this scenario, a large number of families will have to be reconfigured within a transnational setting. The ways in which they maintain their familiar ties and their feeling of being close despite the distance is worth further research. Since the Russian full-scale invasion, several countries in the European Union provided temporary protection for the first time to those arriving, who were mainly females with some of their relatives. The demographic reality of this displacement and the novelty of temporary protection open up a fruitful context to address family maintenance. This thesis explores how Ukrainian females who sought temporary protection in Burgos (Spain) have experienced the ties to their families across distance, delving in their meanings of being together, their practices of co-presence and the role of ICTs in them. / Según la Agencia de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR, 2023), alrededor de 117.2 millones de personas estarán desplazadas forzosamente o apátridas para el año 2023. En este escenario, un gran número de familias deberán reconfigurarse en un entorno transnacional. Las formas en que mantienen sus lazos familiares y su sensación de cercanía a pesar de la distancia merecen una investigación más detallada. Desde la invasión rusa a gran escala, varios países de la Unión Europea brindaron protección temporal por primera vez a quienes llegaban, en su mayoría mujeres acompañadas de algunos de sus familiares. La realidad demográfica de este desplazamiento y la novedad de la protección temporal generan un contexto fructífero para abordar el mantenimiento de las familias. Esta tesis explora cómo las mujeres ucranianas que buscaron protección temporal en Burgos (España) han experimentado los lazos con sus familias a través de la distancia, profundizando en sus significados de estar juntas, sus prácticas de co-presencia y el papel de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) en ellas.

Abstract.  The purpose of this study is to investigate connections between Andrew Tate and right-wing extreme ideologies through fascist and feminist theories and how they spread in a digitalized globalization. The material is gathered from interviews and podcasts on YouTube where Andrew Tate shares his opinions. I have used theories and concepts that discuss sex, gender and heteronormativity as a social construction, as well as a theoretical framework that identifies tactics used by fascist movements to spread their ideas and increase their influence. The result of my study shows that there are distinct connections between Andrew Tate opinions and right-wing extreme ideologies. Tate uses the same tactical method as fascism to spread his message and gain followers. They also share the traditional conservative view on gender and gender roles where everything is based on masculinity and femininity in relation to one's biology. Both ideologies are based on a heteronormativity that lacks intersectional analysis and stigmatizes those who break the norm.

Denna studie utforskar orsakerna till hatbrott, särskilt bland unga i Malmö, med hjälp av ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Tre unga individer med personlig koppling till hatbrott deltar i diskussioner om motivation, syn på offer och strategier för att bekämpa hatbrott. Strainteorin används som en av teoretisk ram för att förklara hur missnöje kan leda till avvikandebeteende, inklusive hatbrott. Resultaten pekar på negativa beteendemönster, nationalistiska tendenser och intolerans mot religioner eller etniciteter med religiös koppling som bidragande faktorer till hatbrott. Betydelsen av denna studie framhävs genom den begränsade mängden forskning i svenskt sammanhang där förövare intervjuats. / This study explores the causes of hate crimes, especially among young people in Malmö,using a qualitative approach. Three young individuals with a personal connection to hatecrime participate in discussions about motivation, views of victims and strategies to combathate crime. Strain theory is used as a theoretical framework to explain how dissatisfaction can lead to deviant behavior, including hate crimes. The results point to negative behavior patterns, nationalist tendencies and intolerance towards religions or ethnicities with areligious connection as contributing factors to hate crimes. The importance of this study is highlighted by the limited amount of research in a Swedish context where perpetrators havebeen interviewed.

The aim of this thesis is to explore and discover how an immigrant ‘finds home’ inSweden through homeownership and to document first-hand experiences on their journey tohomeownership. Thirteen questions were sent via e-mail to twelve (12) participants whowere self-identified immigrants within Sweden. This deductive research rests on thetheoretical framework of the Theory of Finding Home (ToFH) and research on the meaningof ‘home’ that supports the hypothesis that homeownership contributes to an immigrant‘finding home’ in Sweden. The twelve (12) immigrants in Sweden of various backgroundsprovide the foundation for the analysis by elaborating on the relationship between owning ahome and the feeling of being at ‘home’ in Sweden. Home is found to be closely associatedwith feelings of belonging, comfort, safety, and financial well-being. The respondents’answers strongly suggest that owning a house/apartment in Sweden is a tremendousaccomplishment for an immigrant and serves as a major factor in finding the feeling of being‘at home.’

In general, immigrants face various problems as they adjust to their new surroundings and begin a new life. The educated, employed Arabic immigrant Muslim women, (EEAIMW), live between two worlds: a Swedish world at work and an Arabic world at home. In this East-West dichotomy, they keep trying to find who they are and where they belong. This thesis helps to understand the influence of the intersection of religion, ethnicity, and gender serving as the primary disadvantage due to cultural expectations, socio-political considerations, and unfavourable stereotypes and stigmatization. This disadvantage affects not only their employment and career advancement, but also the agency and performed identities of EEAIMW in their Swedish workplace, (SWP). The purpose is to give voice to 17 EEAIMW narrating their journey in re-evaluating and developing their religious, ethnic, and gender identities to adapt to the environment of their SWP. Furthermore, to challenge the stereotyping and the stigmatization that position them as the “Other,” impeding their sense of belonging. Comprehensive data concerning the phenomena was gathered through a qualitative research approach and from in-depth semi-structured interviews with the study participants, joined with a literature review on immigrants, Islam, and employed Muslim women, covering topics about identity theories and organizational behaviour. According to the study’s findings, EEAIMW create a place for themselves in their SWP through their diverse agency and identity performing adaptation strategies, and that relationships rather than the place, create a sense of belonging. It is also found that the different sociocultural contexts do not destroy EEAIMW’s religious beliefs but add value to their existence outside their religious aspect. And when representing Swedish society, they remain linked to their homelands.