Author: Anna Fjällborg Title: Debacle: the Relation Between the State of Sweden and the Kvens 1960-2000. The purpose if this study is to investigate the relation between the State of Sweden and the minority Kvens in the years 1960- 2000 and to learn who the Kvens are. This include the investigation of what distinguish a National Minority in Sweden. This study uses the theoretical concepts of Nation, Nationalism, Identity and Etnicity as a base and it also includes a brief history of the relation between the Swedish State and the Kvens 1809-1950. The sources for this are Public Prints from the Swedish Government and Newspaper articles, all from the period 1960- 2000. Kvens are a collective name for the minorities Kvens, Tornedalingar and Lantalaiset. Differences and similarities among those Minority groups is something that this study investigate. The name Kvens also includes Kvens in Norway, Finland and Russia. The Kvens share history, langauge, culture and traditions over the borders. 1840- 1950 was a hard time for the Kvens because the Swedish State was using coercive methods to make the Kvens to good Swedish citizens which included speaking only Swedish and live according to Swedish culture and traditions. The nationalism was strong and the State believed in one nation, one language and one etnicity. Generations of Kvens got wounds and scars and was ashamed of who they where and today a majority of them can´t talk there own language Meänkieli. In 1995 the Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities from the Council of Europe shed a light of how the Swedish State deals with the Kvens and pointed out that it is important that the Kvens gets protection. As a result of the Convention Sweden decided that the Kvens, in terms of Tornedalingar, are a National Minority and Meänkieli is a Minority Language. The Framework Convention led the way to fast changes for the better. When this study is written the State of Sweden has decided to investigates its historical treatment of the Kvens in form of a Truth- and Reconciliation Commission which make the topic of this study both relevant and up to date. The relationship between the State of Sweden and the Kvens has steadily improved since the 1980´s and the Framework Convention has helped in many ways. This study tells us what the Framework Convention includes and which amendments Sweden has done to implement it,which became a reality in the year 2000.

This thesis is about the Assimilation Policy against the minority Kvens in the years 1840-1950. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate which role the Church of Sweden played in the assimililation and what made bishops and priests to take this role. The base is the theoretical concepts of nation and nationalism, identity and etnicity, minority and majority and authority. This study is mainly a collocation of previous research. In november 2023, the Swedish state finished a commissionwork about the Assimilation Policy against the Kvens and gave an account for the discrimination, excesses and assimilation from the state and the Church of Sweden against the Kvens. (SOU 2023:68) That work is the main source in this thesis. During the investigated period, the church was intertvined with the state which made it a part of the nationalistic endeavor to make every person in Sweden a good citizen and a good Evangelic-Lutheran Christian. The church contributed in coercive methods such as language compulsion to teach every person Swedish, Racial biology and Eugenics and to make the Kvens change place for worship. The only approved language in both the state and the church was Swedish and this enforced the Kvens to learn a new language and stop using their own minority language Meänkieli. It started with the children, but with time every Kven was affected by the Assimilation Policy. The Religious Revivial movement the Laestadianism became a safe haven for the Kvens because during their services Meänkieli was allowed. Thanks to the Laestadianism the Kvens could continue to meet Kvens in Finland and Norway in a transnational community. Both the Swedish state and the Church of Sweden felt treatened by this transnational community which they feared was a threat to the nation and the homogenization. The church became a part of the nationalistic struggle to make Sweden strong and independent. Both the state and the church believed in "one nation–one language–one church". A strong nation was homogenous with all citizens sharing in traditions, history, religion and language of the majority. The Kvens were faulty people according to race, language and worship.  The period with Assimilation Policy is a dark chapter in the history of both the Kvens and the Church of Sweden.