Syftet med denna narrativa studie är att beskriva och förstå upplevelsen av hur unga svarta kvinnors identiteter kan utformas i mötet med andra människor i Sverige. Därför används begreppet intersektionalitet för att belysa skillnader mellan sociala kategoriseringar så som “ras”, klass, religion och etnicitet i identitetsskapande. Identitet formas kontinuerligt beroende av situation och i samspel med andra människor. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ ansats med tolv semi-strukturerade intervjuer med svenskfödda svarta kvinnor i åldern 20–30. Studiens resultat visade att samtliga intervjupersoner upplevde en form av utanförskap, bristande representation i media, fördomar i mötet med omgivningen och en svag tillhörighetskänsla till samhället. De flesta av respondenterna upplevde marginalisering till följd av deras hudfärg, klädsel, klasskillnader samt religionstillhörigheter. Samtliga respondenter upplevde att deras olika intersektioner av identiteter i det svenska samhället skapar svårigheter för identitetsskapandet, på grund av att samspelet av olika sociala kategoriseringar förstärker en strukturell makthierarki. Resultatet framhäver även en positiv frihet i att uppleva sig tillhöra flera identiteter samtidigt. / The purpose with this narrative study is to describe and understand how the experiences of young black women’s identities can be shaped through interactions with other people in Sweden. The term intersectionality is therefore used to highlight differences between social categories such as race, class, religion and ethnicity in the construction of identity. The identity is formed continuously depending on the situation and within interactions with other people. This study is based on a qualitative approach with twelve semi-structured interviews conducted with black females between the ages of 20-30 born in Sweden. The results of this study revealed experiences of exclusion, lack of representation in media, prejudices in the surroundings and a weak sense of belonging to the society among the participants. Most of the participants experienced marginalization, because of their skin complexion, clothing, class differences and religious identity. All the participants experienced that their different intersecting identities in Swedish society creates difficulties for identity construction, due to the interplay of different social categories which reinforces a structural power hierarchy. The results also illustrate a positive sense of freedom in the experience of belonging to various identities at the same time.

The aim of the research project “The menacing immigration and ideal Swedishness: A semiotic analysis of the Sweden Democrats campaign films” was to highlight how ethnicities are portrayed in five different campaign films produced by the Swedish party the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna). The applied theories are stereotypes, binary oppositions as well as the theory of whiteness and blackness. The method used to analyse the campaign films are semiotics, and the tools denotation, connotation, anchoring, relay, metonymy and myths.   The results show that a person’s skin colour is of minor importance. What does matter, is if you are Swedish or not and how Swedish you are. All of the campaign films concern questions about “Swedishness” and immigration. When immigration and non-Swedes are in focus, the films present a dark theme with a sinister undertone. In contrast, when the issue of Swedishness is presented the films portray harmonious and idyllic images of Sweden. Sweden, Swedes and Swedishness is habitually portrayed as being the ideal, the desirable, and the good. It is the norm for being socially acceptable. Immigration, immigrants and non-Swedes on the other hand are consistently portrayed in a negative light. These extraneous groups of people are labelled as the others; they are the bad, and are portrayed as a threat that we Swedes have to defend ourselves against. A third, but less prominent theme that could be deduced from the films is that the Sweden Democrats are portrayed as martyrs. By presenting themselves as being misunderstood and as being the voice of the people, it can be interpreted that they attempt to detract the stamp they acquired as a racist party.   Although the Sweden Democrats seem to have refined the ways in which they express their opinions of Swedishness and immigration, it’s still a significant part of the message in their commercials. They glorify Swedes and reproduce coarse stereotypes of non-Swedes. With the portrayal and contrasting comparison there is an inherent consequence that immigrants are to be seen as less worthy, and that the Swedes in turn are indirectly attributed to a higher value and as such, being Swedish is set as the norm.