Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta reda på hur identitet tillskrivs svenskar i olika länder i världen, beroende på vilken situation de befinner sig i. Uppsatsens problemområde berör identitetsskapande processer där människor av olika nationaliteter möts och agerar med varandra. Jag utgår från Ernesto Laclau och Chantal Mouffes diskursteori som beskriver förhållandet mellan differens och ekvivalens kopplat till hur identitet tas i anspråk. Därför använder jag dessa som verktyg vid analysen av intervjuerna. Genom att analysera materialet har jag tittat närmare på hur identitet särskiljs eller förlikas beroende på vilka olika nationaliteter som representerats i en situation. Resultatet sammanfattas till att identitet är föränderlig. Svenskhet tillskriver personer sig själva och nationell tillhörighet är inte självklart kopplad till identitet.

<p>Should I/we move abroad or not? This is a question that surely many of today’s expatriate Swedes asked themselves and was probably largely debated by most. How does is feel to move back to Sweden? I have chosen to contact a number of expatriate Swedes and some that have returned, in order to receive answers to these questions.</p><p>The aim with this thesis is to study the experiences and thoughts of people living in a different country as to were they were born and also those of people returning to Sweden. I have used a hermeneutic analytical method alongside a socio-psychological identity perspective when I studied the replies of my 69 respondents. The replies I have received are in a narrating format and I have treated them as qualitative information and not performed any statistical analysis.</p><p>I have found, among other things that most of them move abroad because they seek for adventure. When they have arrived and settled in their new country, many seek contact with other expatriate Swedes. They nurture the Swedish traditions and the Swedish language, and it is especially important if they have children. That one becomes “extra Swedish” abroad is confirmed by most and many compare “the new ways” with “the old ways” in Sweden. To find new friends can be very difficult in the beginning and many miss a close friend that they had in Sweden before moving. The majority move back to Sweden due to homesickness or a working contract expires. The option of many is that it feels good to come back home and that things return to normal as they were before leaving Sweden. Others might have certain problems with everyday things that have changed or been implemented while they were abroad.</p>

Should I/we move abroad or not? This is a question that surely many of today’s expatriate Swedes asked themselves and was probably largely debated by most. How does is feel to move back to Sweden? I have chosen to contact a number of expatriate Swedes and some that have returned, in order to receive answers to these questions. The aim with this thesis is to study the experiences and thoughts of people living in a different country as to were they were born and also those of people returning to Sweden. I have used a hermeneutic analytical method alongside a socio-psychological identity perspective when I studied the replies of my 69 respondents. The replies I have received are in a narrating format and I have treated them as qualitative information and not performed any statistical analysis. I have found, among other things that most of them move abroad because they seek for adventure. When they have arrived and settled in their new country, many seek contact with other expatriate Swedes. They nurture the Swedish traditions and the Swedish language, and it is especially important if they have children. That one becomes “extra Swedish” abroad is confirmed by most and many compare “the new ways” with “the old ways” in Sweden. To find new friends can be very difficult in the beginning and many miss a close friend that they had in Sweden before moving. The majority move back to Sweden due to homesickness or a working contract expires. The option of many is that it feels good to come back home and that things return to normal as they were before leaving Sweden. Others might have certain problems with everyday things that have changed or been implemented while they were abroad.

This thesis examines how Swedish citizens deal with the increasingly difficult process of returning to Sweden with family members who are third country nationals, following the passage of a law that places temporary limits on residency permits. The goal of this thesis is to examine how negotiations of citizenship and belonging play out in the context of Swedish migration policy and family reunification regulations. In order to explore these questions in more detail, I have chosen an ethnographic methodology based on a combination of virtual ethnography in two groups on the social media platform Facebook as well as seven semistructured interviews with participants found through these groups and one expert interview with an organization lobbying for Swedes abroad. In this study, the concepts of citizenship, belonging, whiteness, Swedishness, and diaspora are used to understand the relationship of utlandssvenskar (Swedish citizens living abroad) to Sweden and their Swedish citizenship. The study concludes that these Facebook groups provide a space to share and receive support, generate discussion, interact with other Swedes, and help create a sense of community among members scattered around the world by creating a "we". The process of family reunification reinforces feelings of deservingness, and the idea of privilege and citizenship rights is taken for granted. Obstacles to claiming one's homeland and citizenship rights challenge and harm notions of Sweden and Swedishness. Moreover, the study concludes that being utlandssvensk challenges notions of belonging and the way Swedish citizenship is negotiated.