Of the Land, Of Another Land : Transferring Historical Indigenous Policy to Contemporary Immigrant Sentiments in Norway and Sweden
Abstract:
States experiencing influxes of immigrants may trend towards opposite ends of the
policy spectrum: multiculturalism or assimilation. In contemporary immigration
literature, the bulk of work attempting to explain why societies fall towards either
end of this integration spectrum look to the domestic politics of states. This work
examines the ongoing policy development and social shifts to the political right,
phenomena that are largely explored in studies focusing on Scandinavian states.
However, the influence of a state’s past minority policies—particularly
Indigenous policies— remains a potential influence on contemporary minority
politics. Indigeneity is framed by settler societies’ perspective of Native peoples
having a different identity and relationship with the land than the dominant society.
Similarly, contemporary negative perceptions of immigrants originate with their
affiliation to a different homeland and culture. In both cases, an ‘othering’ process
centered on land, culture, and values differentiates the minority groups from the
majority population. As case studies, Norway and Sweden illustrate how
recognition of Indigenous Sámi peoples in the cultural imagination, especially
recognition of culture-specific needs, shapes later social sentiments and policy
towards immigrant minorities.
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