Indian high-skilled labor migrants in Sweden - A study about social integration, interpersonal communication and national identification

(1)

Communication for Development One-year master

15 Credits

Indian high-skilled labor migrants in

Sweden

A study about social integration, interpersonal

communication and national identification

(2)

Abstract

This research aims to understand the extent to which integration among Indian high-skilled labor migrants in the Swedish society has occurred. The study takes it stance from the following research field: Social integration, interpersonal communication and national identification. These three research fields are assembled into a model used to analyze the empirical data. As a method, nine semi-structured interviews are used with ten Indian national interviewees in total. The Interviews are conducted in the southern part of Sweden in three different cities, Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg. Core findings show proof of employment as a central part in integration. Other findings show lack of Swedish language as an issue for better social integration; low levels of interpersonal communication between the interviewees and other social groups in Sweden which leads to low levels of Swedish national identification. In the discussion, the study stresses the importance of: communication between social groups in order to have better integration; time as an important factor for integration and the need of mutual accommodation between social groups in a pluralistic society like Sweden, to improve levels of integration.

Key Words: Social integration; Interpersonal communication; National identification; Globalization; Labor migration

(3)

1 Introduction

The numbers of people migrating around the world has never been this high according to current estimations (United Nations, 2017). To date, Indian migration workers are estimated to be the largest emigrant population in the world with 16.6 million living abroad – the number doubled from 2000 (Ibid). Over 1 million Indians currently live in the European Union (Eurostat, 2018) and 29.673 Indians reside in Sweden today (SCB, 2018).

Migrants seek, for various reasons, a better place to reside and live in. A relatively small country like Sweden with 10 million inhabitants is attractive for migrant workers due to the stable economy and good job possibilities (World Economic forum, 2017). Sweden has an estimated 1.8 million foreign born residents- a number that has increased steadily since the 1950’s (Swedish Migration Agency, 2018). Due to the recent vast increase of immigration to Sweden, public discourse has been directed towards immigration and integration (Roden, 2017). As a country favoring multiculturalism for a long time, Sweden has been considered to be an open and embracing country of different cultures and backgrounds (Borevi, 2014).

Many studies have been conducted about migration and integration (Jaskułowski, 2017). Some have focused on middle class Indians migrating to Poland for work and career opportunities (Myrvold, 2012). Others have examined how Indians in Sweden face immigration and integration; while some like Stievano et al. (2017) have interviewed Indian nurses in Italy to understand their social integration. However, compared to countries such as the United Kingdom (catering half of EU’s Indian population according to Eurostat, 2018), USA and the Gulf area, Indian nationals in Sweden have increased by threefold since the millennium (SCB, 2018) and hence need more focus.

The statistics Sweden (SCB) and other Swedish institutions (e.g. Swedish Migration Agency) have a good sense of the accelerating Indian migration to Sweden – still- empiric data and a deeper knowledge of Indians’ thoughts about social integration, national identity and interpersonal communication are missing out in the Swedish context.

Although the Indian population in Sweden have migrated from India to Sweden for high-skilled employment, where they have jobs and relatively financially good standards, there are other important factors when immigrating and integrating into

(6)

other countries. Such features can be traced to social inclusion or political awareness and are necessary to enable immigrants to have a stronger voice in the overall societal development (Ager & Strang, 2008). In a recent study conducted by InterNations (a social network for expats), Sweden is ranked last among 65 countries in the question regarding migrants success in finding friends in the new country (ExpatInsider, 2017). Furthermore, UN CERD (United Nation’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination) has released a report mentioning Sweden as a country with increasing issues with racism and hate-speeches, where ethnicity is mentioned as one social category used to discriminated against others (2017:3). These facts are connected to social development.

With the discussion of Indian high-skilled labor migrants and the issues with immigration in Sweden it is relevant to talk about social integration. This term (social integration) has many definitions, and is many times used successful or unsuccessful, which, misleadingly, makes the process of integration overly simplistic. There are many different factors related to social integration such as background, level of education, social status, language, values, behaviors, group identity, diaspora of the groups investigated (Castles et al., 2001; Ager & Strang, 2008; Turner, 2010:34; Eriksen, 2014:164). In addition to this, social integration could be studied in short or long periods but also goes back to the ability to integrate and on what premises a person has to achieve this. Hence, viewing integration as an umbrella of several factors is important and is used in this degree project (Castles et al., 2001:126-127).

Thus I will claim it is important to continue research in the field of social integration where people from various backgrounds live together because scholars will tell us distances between groups in a society may increase or decrease depending on among other factors; interaction and communication (Dragojevic & Giles, 2014).

With ongoing stark debates in Sweden about integration and immigration in front of the 2018 political elections (Swedish Radio), this type of research is right in time. Hence, it will inform and expand our knowledge; not only the academy but the society at large.

In this study I focus on Indians own perceptions and experiences about their social integration in the Swedish society and the extent to which they feel like Swedes. The

(7)

I rely on a qualitative method specifically based on semi-structured interviews (Brinkmann, 2012) for my analysis. I have conducted nine interviews with ten interviewees in Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg in Scania, the southernmost province in Sweden.

To guide my empirical analysis, I built a theoretical framework based on three theoretical fields; social integration; national identification and interpersonal communication (further described in Theories).

1.1 Background

1.1.1 Indian migrants

Numerous studies have been conducted about Indian labor migrants in the world. However, this research focus on labor migrants from India with advanced academic backgrounds. Often times, migrants academic background are an important factor for their integration. A study with a focus on Indian labor migrants was conducted in Poland (Jaskulowski, 2017), in Wroclaw, where the researchers focused on the middling class, i.e. the middle class Indian labor migrants, to understand how they viewed their life in Poland, their ambitions and future prospects. Some of the findings suggest that Poland was never these migrants’ given destination. Rather, it was a destination handed out by the multinational company where the Indian laborer is employed (p.265). They also expressed that the career opportunities offered to them were more important than their self-realization. They also faced language barriers and racism due to their low skills in Polish language and their different by skin-color and culture (p.267).

In accordance, language is also an issue for immigrants in Sweden. Myrvold (2012) writes about an Indian migrants living in Sweden, where she states that many Indians face challenges with the Swedish language since it’s harder to adapt to a second language for adults (p.29). This has also been confirmed in another European study by Stievano et al (2017) where Indian female nurses participated in an Italian study about their professional and social integration developments. The issues with the native language also effects the verbal communication for the Indian nurses, which makes them find it hard to communicate over all in the Italian society (p.4239).

Both the study by Jaskulowski (2017) and Stievano et al. (2017) mentions discrimination and racism as a smaller issue for the informants in these studies. However, some of the informants confirm patterns of this, which is important because

(8)

racism and discrimination could hamper social integration (as defined earlier by Berry, 2011).

Another theme for Indian migrants in Europe is the difference in culture (Stievano et al, 2017; Jaskulowski, 2017; Myrvold, 2012). However, Myrvold (2012) argues that Indians in Sweden feel more comfortable with their culture and background since Swedish authorities have clear policies on freedom for religion and diversity, in fact Sweden embrace a multicultural platform for social integration which leads to stronger cultural diversity (Bratsberg, 2017). However, issues many times comes with second generation of immigrants, where the children starts to develop better local language (in this case, Swedish language) skills. This leads to a cultural divide where Indian families struggle between their native (the Indian, and many times regional descent) and the new Swedish context.

Myrvold (2012) further explains Indians in Sweden as being successfully integrated compared to other immigrant groups from other countries, but she calls for further studies on this since there are missing pieces: “[…] it is crucial to conduct more sociological and anthropological research on various aspects of the immigration and integration of different migrant groups within the more heterogeneous community.” It is important to highlight the differences in these studies, not only by the countries where they are conducted, but how they are conducted. For example, Jaskulowki’s study only interviews eleven informants, which makes this study hard to generalize. The study by Stievano et al (2017) also has its limitations since nurses are highlighted and the focus for the study so it is only generalizable to the professional area of nursing, thus integration questions are only secondly reported. The study conducted by Myrvold (2012) is also more general and descriptive when discussing the immigration and migration for Indians to Sweden.

Although, these studies are done differently they stresses the issue of India as a complex nation with different regions. Stievano et al (2017) mention how some regions in India have been co-operating with regions in Italy about nursing for a long time. This has led to waves of Indian nurses going to Italy for nursing employment opportunities. The same goes for Myrvold (2012) where she explain the earlier immigrants from India as coming from Gujarati and Punjabi (p.24). Today, Myrvold

(9)

the ICT industry, which has also changed the regional background for immigrants going to Sweden for employment (p.11).

1.1.2 Swedish immigration context

In the beginning of the 20th_{Century, Sweden was one of the poorest nations on earth} and suffered from a migration deficit, mainly to the United States of America (USA), Canada, South America or Australia. After World War II, Sweden came out intact and became a blooming industrial nation. At that time, more people were needed in order to manage global demands. In a matter of decades the population started to grow. Mainly people from former Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy immigrated as labor migrants to work in the factories. This was during the height of the industrial boom (Swedish Migration Agency, 2018).

Quite soon, the demand decreased. During the 1970’s, the oil crises slowed down economic surplus in Sweden and resulted in low world demands. Consequently, Sweden among other countries, had to enforce heavy regulations on people immigrating to the country. The open policies on immigration changed and became less open. People now needed to have all their papers in place to have a chance to work and live in Sweden and a shift from labor immigration to family reunion and refugee immigration started to take place (Bratsberg et al., 2017:117).

In 2008, Sweden once again opened up its boarders to mitigate worldwide financial and industrial demands (Myrvold, 2012:2). The government at that time launched new migration policies to attract and develop Sweden to become a forefront runner in the technological battle with other nations. A major step was to let companies deciding on the workforce demand. Before this, the state was in charge of measuring branches with a need of foreign laborer migrants (Emilsson et al., 2014:7).

Due to internationalization within areas such as university studies and high-skilled labor branches, people from India started to arrive in a much higher rate than before – especially because of their international reputation in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector (Myrvold, 2012:5-6).

This is the starting point of this degree project. As a fairly new group, the Indian group live and work in the south of Sweden. Many of them work in Multinational Companies (MNCs) located in or around the cities. My first encounter with one of them came when I was looking for a roommate to my apartment in Helsingborg. It is from this moment

(10)

my ideas and thoughts came into effect to start analyzing labor migrants and their life situations in Sweden.

1.1.3 General overview of social integration

Historically there has been two themes related to the concept of social integration in the Western world: assimilation and multiculturalism. Assimilation can be characterized by total adaption to the new context while multiculturalism is based on the principle where multiple cultures lives side by side without total adaption. One such example is between Sweden and Denmark, where roads toward social integration has been divided and worked with differently. Although the countries share many of the same basic welfare principles, Denmark adjusted to an assimilationist approach in the 1970’s while Sweden kept the multicultural perspective (Borevi, 2014:712).

As a critique against the multiculturalism perspective, Koopmans (2010) argues that diversity in a society will maintain differences between social groups, which has led to segregation in societies like Belgium and Sweden. While not totally against the idea of multiculturalism, Koopmans continues debating about how immigrant policies leads to embracement of cultures and languages. This, in turn, will lead to maintenance of different cultures and in the end will tear societies apart. As such, Koopmans lays emphasis on an assimilationist approach where immigrants more or less are forced to adapt into the new host environment. Bayram et al (2009) wrote an article about integration in Sweden and share some of the critique Koopmans provides. Some of the insights from Bayram et al’s study informs us that Sweden and Netherlands are the far most multiculturalist nations in Europe. Sweden, has since 1975 used the policy words: equality, freedom of choice and partnership in their slogan for social integration. Although Sweden has changed their concept of immigrants to social diversity, Bayram et al (2009) shows how people with foreign background: earns less compared to Swedish born people; have worse health conditions and lack the same levels of education among others aspects. Especially major cities with segregated communities tend to show these results.

Turkish immigrants in Sweden still feel Turkish and have difficulties developing Swedish identity, many of the researched Turks felt they didn’t belong in Sweden and Swedish people didn’t recognize them as real Swedes. There were indications of

(11)

Turkish respondents as being not interested in a multicultural society with a shared notion of a common identity (2009:106).

As a response to the critique against the multiculturalism perspective a study about welfare states and immigrants in Europe by Zrinščak (2012) concludes that Sweden has the lowest poverty rates for immigrants compared to other European countries. This is because of the strong welfare state where socioeconomic standards are high even for people with unemployment and lower social status. Borevi (2014) confirms the Swedish welfare state in her study about Swedish multiculturalism and states that the universal welfare state for all people in Sweden despite background has made it possible for people in Sweden, since the 1960’s, to acquire free healthcare, education and language learning without enforcement (p.710). Borevi (2014) mentions language as another important factor for social integration and this goes in two ways for Swedish policies. First, Swedish language is not mandatory and secondly mother tongue language is provided to immigrant’s children. According to Borevi (2014) this leads to cultural diversity which is not necessary good or bad, but it makes Sweden as a country unique, because in comparison with Denmark, the Swedish neighbor, policies are different and more in line with a monoculture i.e. there are one culture where all people living in the nation should confirm to (p.712).

Emilsson et al (2014) conducted interviews with high-skilled labor migrants in Sweden to understand why the immigrants moved to Sweden. Among the answers, language was mentioned as one important factor. The informants said the English level of language was advanced which made it easier for foreigners to communicate and make themselves heard in Sweden. In coherence with Zrinščak (2012), the high level of the welfare state was also something they favored with Sweden.

While Koopmans (2010) argues for failed social integration in multiculturalism societies, other voices such as informants in Emilsson et al’s (2014) study argue for the opposite. This overview about contemporary research in the field of social integration has shown some perspectives about social integration.

1.2 Research aim

As a Communication for Development student I am interested in the social psychology in the group dynamics and the way communication may serve as a driver for connection and cross-cultural meetings in Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, Sweden.

(12)

The purpose with my study is to expand knowledge and understanding around the topic social integration through broadening the perspective to also include interpersonal communication and national identification. This leads to the following research questions:

RQ 1: In what way are highly-skilled Indian immigrants in Sweden socially integrated?

RQ 2: What aspects in their daily social interactions and communications are important, and how do they affect how and the extent to which these Indians identify themselves as Swedes?

1.3 Delimitation

Many of the interviewees in this study are high-skilled laborers who often have years of labor experience in either their home countries or in international contexts. I have chosen not to make a difference in this regard. Instead my focus is on the foreign work in Sweden, where they are living and working. The amount of years are not explicitly a restriction, instead the focus is on a full-time employment, either based on a Swedish work contract or a foreign work contract on Swedish grounds.

Throughout this degree project I will mostly use the concept of the high-skilled labor migrant. This could be interpreted in different ways, but my concept is based on a high-skilled laborer coming from another country, and in this study: India. They have some sort of academic background, where the interviewees have at least a Bachelor degree from either the mother country, India, or from abroad.

Another delimitation concerns the immigration status in Sweden, where many of the interviewees don’t have a citizenship (only two of the interviewees have that). This is of course central to bring forward, because the level of citizenship gives a person certain privileges in the foreign country (i.e. the new country). Instead many of the interviewees in this research are here on either one-year basis where they are extended per year; or are in the process of becoming Swedish citizens. Permanent Residency is discussed during the interviews, but are not a limit for contribution in this degree project.

(13)

1.4 Structure

This research project is divided in different sections. First a theoretical framework (2.) will be presented along with concepts and theories from the research fields. Secondly the Methodology chapter (3.) will explain what method I have used and how this will have relevance for this degree project. As a third component, the Analysis (4.) is constructed in three pieces: social integration (4.1), interpersonal communication (4.2) and national identification (4.3). As the last part, Discussion (5.) will assemble that analytical framework and discuss different aspects of the findings during this research.

2 Theoretical framework

This degree project is based on three major theories: Social integration, national identification and interpersonal communication, which will be connected together in order to address this study’s research aim and research questions. They will all be integrated in the social integration framework developed by Ager and Strang (2008). Since the focus for this degree project is on Indian labor migrants in Sweden most of the literature mentioned takes place in the West World (i.e. Europe and North America). Thus, literature and existing research in other parts of the world will not be emphasized in the same matter. In addition, there are numerous studies on Indian migrants in general, but since the focus is on labor migrants this will be another delimitation. I will start by introducing Social integration (2.1) and then continue with Interpersonal communication (2.2) and National identification (2.3).

2.1 Social integration

Definition of social integration

There are numerous attempts to discuss how people from different origins can live together in a fruitful order where peace and stability is advocated. For a long time, the concept of assimilation was used, and still is (Lutz, 2017). According to Berry (2011) this explains how a minority group adapts to the majority group in a social setting (p.2.10). However, in this degree project social integration is referred to as when different social groups from various origins live at the same place in a pluralistic society (i.e. Sweden) where the social groups both keep their original culture and background while they accommodate other social groups from other cultural backgrounds and origins.

(14)

2.1.1 How to describe social integration

Berry discuss social integration with point of departure on groups’ position in a pluralistic society (2011). He highlight four kinds of strategies based on two assumptions: First, social groups interest in maintaining their own culture and heritage and second, the ambition to participate with other ethnocultural groups in the larger society i.e. a plural society where all ethnocultural groups (dominant or non-dominant) “attempt to carry out their lives.” (Berry, 2011:2.3).

Based on these two assumptions four strategies will arise: assimilation, separation,

integration or marginalization. Assimilation will occur when individuals no longer

wish to keep their originated cultural identity and thus aim to change to another culture. Separation happens when the originated culture is maintained and at the same time do not interact with other cultures. Integration takes place when an individual holds on to a specific culture while also learning and seeking contact with another culture. Marginalization is the last resort where individuals neither want to maintain their original culture and neither want to establish contact with other cultures (Berry, 2011:2.6).

He also refers to a third assumption where dominating groups in a particular society has the power to include or exclude non-dominant groups when they try to relate. This approach is based on the assumption that there is a mutual accommodation from both the non-dominant group and the dominant group which will lead to a society where cultural diversity is the norm (Berry, 2011).

Lutz describe social integration by looking into social integration outcomes where either assimilation or multiculturalism policies are used by states or nations (2017). This framework views integration as either geared by assimilation or multiculturalism. States or nations will most probably use policies to integrate immigrants in their societies. But how to do it depends on the capabilities or the aspiration immigrants possesses. Policies built on assimilationist concepts many times force immigrants to adapt to the society before they can enjoy or take part in the welfare system in the host country. Hence, aspirations among the immigrants need to be high in order to integrate in the host community. Furthermore, one states that if everything is served in the new host community (e.g. full rights enabled) aspirations among the immigrants

(15)

leaving immigrants with low language skills and a tendency to engage only with immigrants with similar backgrounds - leading to local communities (Lutz, 2017:10-11).

On the other side of the coin, the multiculturalists favor capabilities over aspirations and therefore view the integration process as a need to have capabilities in order to integrate. This could be granted access to the welfare system and education to fully engage in- and develop in the host society. Instead of focus on the individual as responsible to integrate - states or nations becomes granter to achieve integration outcomes. The immigrants have their rights to express their native background and pressures are low on the individual immigrant. The main goal is to enable opportunity structures giving rights and possibilities to immigrants in their integration (Lutz, 2017:12-13).

To be able to understand if the migrants are included or excluded in ways that are discussed here in this section we need to have a framework with different aspects which can explain if a social group such as the Indian high-skilled labor migrants are socially integrated. These will be presented in the next section.

2.1.2 How to analyze social integration

To fully understand immigrants views on integration, Ager and Strang developed a conceptual framework in Britain to assess refugees and build up an understanding for where and how and what integration is, but also to fully explain how a society can improve levels of integration and thus achieve a more harmonious society (also named successful). They based their research on 200 indicators for integration, conducted earlier in Europe in the 1990’s (2008:166). At the same time, Ager and Strang say there is no one way of explaining integration (2008).

So, how can we understand social integration? I have decided to take inspiration from the four different themes they used in their model, namely: Markers and means, Social connection, facilitators and foundation. Markers and means mainly handle employment, housing, education and health; social connection is based on social bridges, social bonds and social links; facilitators are built on language and cultural knowledge and last; foundation is conceptualized as rights and citizenship (Ager & Strang, 2008:170).

(16)

Aside from using these four themes I will also turn to other researchers to deepen the knowledge and analytical possibilities of social integration.

2.1.2.1 Markers and Means

This category includes employment, housing situation, education and health. Ager and Strang state that these are important because, the access to a considered good neighborhood will have impacts on access to employment and establishment in society. The same goes for education, where learning outcomes and levels of knowledge will influence people in their capability of finding a job or creating jobs (2008:173).

Employment plays a significant role in social integration. It is by employment that people learn new languages and starts to understand a new culture. Although, refugees and high-skilled labor migrants might have differences in education and reasons to arrive and immigrate to another country, my argument is still that both groups need a platform to understand a new environment based on earlier research in the field (Ager & Strang, 2008:170). Castles et al (2001) says that employment has been a key factor in integration research for a long time. Studies clearly shows the benefits with employment compared to unemployment.

What is important to understand here is the interlinkages between these themes. In fact they all interplay with each other. As an example, if the housing and the employment for a person becomes better then the means to move up in the social hierarchy or improved living conditions might be the results from such actions. Likewise the markers points out a position for a person and suggest the person’s ability (the means) to develop new connections and become more socially integrated. (Ager & Strang, 2008:173).

2.1.2.2 Social connections

Based on the framework from Ager and Strang (2008), I will here use two concepts named social bonds and social bridges.

In their research, Ager and Strang (2008) found social bonds between immigrants in their first settlement period to be important in order to feel comfortable. This is the most basic factor, where the refugee (and in this study the high-skilled labor migrant) creates bonds with others identifying with or coming from same place of origin. Here important features such as language or worldview plays a significant role (p.178).

(17)

The last step, social bridges, emphasizes the importance of harmony between social groups. According to Ager and Strang (2008) differences between groups in a society may cause social tensions and may further develop social unrest, hence, it is important to enable a friendly atmosphere between social groups in a society. Examples could be friendliness and participation in activities such as sports or education to further diminish prejudices (p.180-181).

Using Bourdieu’s theories on capital accumulation and habitus gives us a deeper understanding of social connections that Ager and Strang (2008) presented.

Bourdieu bases his research from the Marxist perspective where dominant classes have a form of control in a society where distribution of resources are not only economic but social and cultural (1986:51-53).

The volume of the social capital, Bourdieu argues, is coherent with the volume of the social network. If an agent (a person) in a certain field (a specific context) has a large social network then this person possess a large portion of social capital. Since economic capital is the fundament for capital at large, social capital will enable the economic capital to be accumulated. Through solidarity to group membership and institutions, an agent has the possibility, but it’s not a given, to increase the material or symbolic assets. By expanding the social network, an agent needs to find relationships in order to become member in social group environments. New members in a social group could become a threat to certain behaviors and values that constitute the group, therefore certain strategies takes place to exclude those not wanted and include those which the group fancy, and a constant search for group homogeneity is the fundament for this. These strategies could be; living in a certain neighborhood, sports in special disciplines or access to superior schools (Ibid).

Habitus is linked to social fields. This is a concept not originated from Bourdieu, but

he uses this to explain how an agent, due to the social knowledge and schooling, carries this with her. Bourdieu state that habitus is a social notion within an agent where different sets of dispositions are learnt in a socialization process and “form, store, record and exert” (Navarro, 2006:16) human behavior. Furthermore, habitus, is transferred from the society where the agent lives and will thus be different depending on how the society works. This shows, habitus, is always a factor for all humans and not a fixed factor, instead habitus changes along time where we as humans socialize and develop this condition (Ibid).

(18)

In addition, habitus, is linked to an unconscious or conscious practice where our historical experiences from generations to generations leads to equations in the social daily life. An agent performs these equations and make estimations of what is reasonable and what is not. Depending on the social world, an agent will act differently and thus, a social practice will differ. Bourdieu and Nice, argues that aspirations and dreams are connected to habitus because the socialization process will make us think and dream of the possible social outcome differently (1977:76-78).

2.1.2.3 Facilitators

Language and cultural knowledge is presented under this category.

As mentioned before in this research by both Turner (2010) and Lutz (2017) language is a group identifier and a constant discussion template in the integration discourse because it is the basic criteria for group belonging and a possible barrier breaker for communication to take place. Ager and Strang (2008) argue that language is important to establish oneself in a new society, and the ability to learn a new language is the most important factor when arriving to a new context (p.182).

Language is closely interrelated with culture. To be able to learn a language, cultural learning is essential. Different societies with different language will use words differently depending on, amongst other considerations: social status, gender or age. Besides this fundament in language; motivation and opportunity are drivers for humans to obtain languages (Samovar et al., 2012:53).

Ager and Strang points out: “Being able to speak the main language of the host community is, for example, consistently identified as central to the integration process.” (2008:182). In addition, Samovar et al (2012) states that even if only used randomly, language is a window to another culture and will help a person to broaden the ability to understand cross-cultural phenomenon and stimulate the intellectual parts of the brain. Second language training, is hence beneficial even if not practiced every day (p.54).

Sweden, is sometimes mentioned as a poorly integrated country because language acquisition is not mandatory due to Swedish multicultural policies. Koopmans (2010) states that these policies lead to immigrants not feeling the need to mix themselves with the new culture and therefore continues to speak their language of origin and in

(19)

immigrants, have shown employment and intermarriage as good entry points for language learning. This enables immigrants to spread throughout the society and diminishes enclaves with specific ethnicities (p.10-11).

In the study by Ager and Strang (2008) refugees felt lost in a new environment and mentioned their own culture to be important in order to continue a healthy life where they could feel ‘at home’. The new social groups arriving to a new country feel their culture is important and would like to share it more, but this is not always viewed as positive by the host community (p.183). Difference in this subject may lead to distance between social groups and assimilation and multiculturalism perspectives may differ in the view of ‘good integration’ (Lutz, 2017:10-13).

According to Bourdieu cultural capital exists in humans (embodied), in objects (cultural artifacts such as paintings) or in institutions (academic diplomas). The embodied cultural capital is important because here in contrast to other capital the resource is invisible but still of main importance to hold a social status or to have influence in a society. The embodied capital can be transferred into economic capital where a surplus of capital can be accumulated (Bourdieu, 1986:47-51).

The second form of capital; objects, are important and have implications either materially or symbolically where the cultural capital have a social meaning and might lead to social advantages. The third, the institutionalized capital, is mostly provided through academic or schooling capital where the social reproduction takes place and agents compete for scarce resources in different fields of the society. This suggest that academic capital is important because with it an agent has the possibility to find new resources and can thus accumulate more capital in other forms. The different forms of capital can later be transferred to other forms of capital which in the end leads to social outcomes in a society. For those with many sorts of capital a constant exchange is possible to find a better disposition in the social hierarchy while for those with small amounts of capital, a lower position in the society will be a fact (Ibid).

In addition, Samovar et al explain culture to be; learned (interaction, observation and imitation), continuing from generation to generation (history taught by e.g. institutions like family or teachers in schools or media); symbolic (words, gestures and images); dynamic (diffusion of ideas make a culture changeable) and ethnocentric (superior to other cultures due to strong ties in the group) (2012:12).

(20)

In addition, cultural identity and intercultural personhood are two concepts important to separate when looking into culture. Cultural identity is often related to a static view; monolithic and value-based, where intercultural personhood is the opposite and more pragmatic towards culture where human complexity and the evolving nature of humans diminish the traditional boundaries (Samovar et al., 2012:84).

Stuart Hall adds to the first category of cultural identity as something being shared, but also that cultural identity is something between the past and the future –a difference. It consists of history, culture and power. A cultural history is in constant change and will therefore always be positioned and not fixed in a pure formation. Instead politics will always change the way we look back at our cultural identity enabled by memory, myths, fantasies and narratives. Therefore culture is not something totally pure or easy to access and neither a falsity nor total fiction – instead it is something we have to relate to where knowledge and power over it will be the driving forces (2014:224-230).

2.1.2.4 Foundation

This parameter is closely connected to the next part of the theoretical framework used in this study; national identification. It is important to understand the difficulties when discussing nation-ness. Ager and Strang (2008), explain that citizenship and rights are connected with not only practical laws and legislations in the new country but also how one identifies with the new country. This will have consequences for integration and the abilities to learn and thrive in new environments. Knowing rules and understanding of a new system such as the political or civic is something that could differ depending on background and knowledge (p.176).

Furthermore, rights comes with responsibilities where countries have different approaches in their policymaking depending on their stance in the assimilation and multiculturalism question. For an immigrant to know the new country and most probably different procedures might take time and will demand efforts from both migrants and host communities (Ager & Strang, 2008:173-177).

(21)

2.2 Interpersonal communication

Studies on individuals and their behaviors towards others have been studied for a long time, while group relations and communication has had less scholarly attention. Gallois et al (2018) argues that time has come to go further into the dynamics of group belongings and communication between groups. As one example given from the article, a woman having a fight with her husband talks to her girlfriends about the fight. The woman discuss how the arguments took different turns. However, the woman is not only considered an individual here, she is also part of a gender group where a shared identity is a fact. Thus, the woman will be viewed both from the outside from her individual standing point and her group identity. Further on, the group belonging for the woman will have consequences because what she believes is the right thing to do might be perceived differently by the group. Not only does language play a part, in a study done by Keblusek et al (2017) clothing and language as communication is researched. The authors state that clothing also defines social belonging and are parts of constructions of social groups. Social groups based on gender or religion are examples where clothing will make a distinction towards other groups. When these clothes are used, social group identification is activated and thus categorization and self-categorization comes in to effect. This is valid research because it tells us that communication, verbal or non-verbal, ascribe us as individuals into social identities and categories (p.634).

Gallois et al (2018) state that there are always power differentials between social groups which will lead to communication outcomes. As examples they mention how doctors speak with patients or how a policeman speaks and interacts with people on the street. In coherence with this, Keblusek et al (2017) discuss power issues between different races in the U.S. where clothing also shows power differentials. As one example, a shooting of a young man wearing a hoodie became a call for political uprising and discussions about race and power imbalance between black men and the police.

In relation to different social groups such a races, Liu et al (2018) has researched how community communication works in the U.S. Through surveys in a housing community they found out that regular meetings between the multi-ethnic citizens in the community led to lower cases of prejudice between social groups based by their race. In relation to Keblusek et al (2017) and Gallois et al (2018), issues in the

(22)

communication was discovered by Asian-Americans facing problems with language and thus interpersonal communication for this group became difficult while interactions between Latin-American and Anglo-American increased during the study and led to better relationships inside the housing community. Liu et al (2018) also pointed towards the media and the production of stereotypes and prejudices between social groups as problematic for building a common identity in the housing community.

In line with this, Seate and Mastro (2017) conducted a study about how the news and prejudices about immigrants in the U.S. had real consequences for real life interactions. They found that news had an impact on the image of immigrants and thus, this further led to emotions of threat and negative assumptions for the students involved in the study. This also has relevance to this degree project because prejudices and stereotypes may be harmful and negative for intergroup relations and may lead to less contact and understanding of other social groups in a society.

These studies are mainly concerned with the U.S. and hence, these kind of communication studies are less common in Sweden, thus a study about how communication at large and interpersonal communication in particular is important in a setting where intergroup relations are central. I will now introduce an interpersonal communication theory that will be used in this degree project.

2.2.1 How interpersonal communication affect social integration and national identification

Dragojevic and Giles (2014) base their new research on the missing parts of intergroup relations and interpersonal communication. Coming from the paradigm of communication accommodation theory (CAT), they are interested in understanding how interpersonal communication might lead to convergence, divergence or

maintenance of communication strategies when communicating with others and

between intergroups i.e. between social groups identifying or belonging to different social groups.

2.2.1.1 Convergence

A communication strategy used by social group members to adapt, verbally and non-verbally, to individuals belonging to other social groups in order to get closer and be approved by the other social group (Dragojevic & Giles,2014:37).

(23)

2.2.1.2 Divergence

The opposite strategy compared to convergence, where social group members increase the distance, verbally or non-verbally, between social groups (Ibid).

2.2.1.3 Maintenance

Is a strategy used by social group members where no adjustment takes place, verbally or non-verbally between social groups. This behavior will maintain intergroup relations as a form of status quo (Dragojevic & Giles, 2014:37-38).

They argue group identity plays an important role when people in a society communicates. This is further based on prejudice and stereotypes existing in our ways of resonating and thinking of others. From the beginning CAT was based on speech between people and groups. Research by Giles showed proof of dialects leading people closer or further away from each other. Giles main argument was based on dominance between groups in a society. Weaker groups tended to adjust to stronger groups in their ways of speaking which lead to convergence while on the contrary stronger groups tended to uphold their way of speaking with weaker groups. However, later on the theory itself developed and started to include all sorts of communication in social settings (2014:37).

In this research, Dragojevic and Giles’ chapter Language and interpersonal

communication will be used to analyze data from the interviews. Language are

important when describing group identity because this is the basic criteria to establish belonging and understanding between people. Not only is national language important, but also jargons and regions will communicate different sorts of belongings and social statuses (2014:32).

Verbal and non-verbal communication construct the basic ideas of Dragojevic and Giles’ research. As mentioned language is a verbal feature while non-verbal features may be the way people dress, look, and grimace among others. These characteristics will have effects on relations in social settings (2014:32-33).

Concepts such as in-group and out-group favoritism are based on the in-group bias humans feel and act out. If one’s in-group is threatened by an out-group there might be actions taken such as hate speeches and anger towards the out-group. This could lead to a larger distance between social groups in a society (p.36).

(24)

However, based on Allport’s research from 1954, increased communication between in-groups and out-groups may harmonize group relations and thus build a functional relation between groups in societies. As suggested by Dragojevic and Giles, new social categories between groups where a shared or a common identity is encouraged might lead to fruitful relationships (2014:41-42).

I have now introduced how interpersonal communication can be used to understand how intergroup relations are formed. I will now introduce my next theoretical research field which is national identification. This is used in combination with social integration and interpersonal communication to understand more about the Indian high-skilled labor migrants’ integration process.

2.3 National identification

Several studies have been conducted about how people identify with nations and the psychological aspects involved both at the individual level and group levels. Rodriguez et al (2016) did a study in the U.S. on how children in the ages 10-14 construct and form their identification to both the U.S., i.e. what it is to be an American, and other identifications such as the ethnicity (originated region or place) where traditions and relations still are strong. In fact, one out four children in the U.S. have immigrant backgrounds and thus a mixed or multiple sense of identification is constructed (p.809).

The study, conducted in one school with children from various racial-ethnic background i.e. African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans or European-Americans, concludes that children with an immigrant racial-ethnic background in an early age develop bicultural identities. Furthermore, children from a European-American background, considered a more European-American normative, spoke less about being American, since they already fitted into this category. On the contrary children with racial-ethnic backgrounds and immigrant parents spoke about America and their own background differently because of their non-normative presence (p.830-831). The study has its limitations, since only one school was used in the study and the school was a private elementary school, where more ‘privileged’ pupils are enrolled which indicates they come from a better socioeconomic background.

(25)

this is important to understand because immigrants or people in general carry different sorts of identifications, and especially transnational studies reveal how immigrants both gain new cultural identifications in the host community as they preserve their originated culture (p.13). Furthermore, Naujoks stresses the importance of understanding and learning more about multiple identifications and the consequences this might have for how people living in nations perceive themselves and others. The author suggests that they may view themselves and others not only as people, but as individuals holding on to one identification (Naujoks, 2010:14-15).

In Finland, a study about national identification and intergroup relations i.e. relations between different social groups, has been conducted by Brylka et al (2015). The study explores how Finnish and Russians relate to each other and what consequences this has for better social development. In coherence with what Naujoks (2010) stresses about multiple identities, Brylka et al (2015) finds out that the Finnish national identification is based on ethnic belonging, i.e. one must be a native or born in the nation to belong to Finland which has the consequence of considering immigrants (e.g. Russians) as out-groups not belonging. The authors suggest a civic approach to national identification where citizenship is emphasized over ethnicity for belonging to the nation (p.676). In relation to Rodriguez et al (2016), it is important to understand the context of where studies takes place. Finland, according to Brylka et al (2015), is a country with a homogenous population and a history of emigration (p.670) while the U.S. is the contrary, a nation based on immigration (Rodriguez et al, 2016:808). Thus, the populations living in these countries will have different connotations and perceptions about what a nation is and who belongs to it.

Another study conducted in Europe by Fleischmann and Phalet (2018) looks at national identification or the lack of it among immigrant youths in Europe (Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden). The authors conclude that religious discrimination among immigrant youths do lead to less national identification and at the same time the commitment to the Islamic religion (which is stronger among the Muslim youths in the research) leads to a diverge between the minority immigrants in general in the studied countries and in particular the immigrants who profess commitment to Islam (p.56). This study, to some extent, shows the same patterns as Brylka et al (2015) where different perceptions of “who we are” and “where we belong” play an important role in how we identify with the nation we live in and also who we

(26)

considered being members in the national group. Fleischmann and Phalet’s (2018) study can also be compared with Naujoks (2010) article where multiple identifications are a fact for human beings, but the ties to these may differ depending on the context i.e. where one lives, and to what extent these identifications are permitted or not. For the Muslim youths it is obviously easier to relate to the religious identification because of commitment and discrimination.

A study in France about threat against immigrants and national identification conducted by Badea et al (2018) shows, in line with Brylka et al (2015), that if a threat is perceived against immigrants by the population ascribing with a higher national identification, then a more assimilationist approach towards integration will come to reality. On the opposite, those people with lower national identification did not perceive immigrants as a threat to the same degree and hence a multiculturalism perspective on immigration came into play (Badea et al, 2018:6). Also in line with Brylka et al (2015), the perception of belonging to a nation plays a significant part in how people in a nation view threats from immigrants. Those with an ethnic approach tends to see immigrants with cultural diversity as a threat compared to those with a civic approach to national identification where lower levels of prejudice towards immigrants occurs (Badea et al, 2018:6).

I have presented articles and research in the field of national identification, and although some of the articles touches upon the Swedish national identification (Fleischmann and Phalet, 2018), still Indian migrants and especially high-skilled labor migrants are not researched in Sweden. Studies about integration or national identification in countries such as Poland, Finland or France bring important material and insights to this study, but they are also country specific and are to different degrees researching different social groups with different backgrounds, which plays a significant part for adaption in new societies (Berry, 1997:16).

These studies about national identification are also connected to social integration and what we will see, interpersonal communication where interaction between individuals ascribing to certain social groups will lead to outcomes for how these meetings or interactions will end. Before interpersonal communication is presented I will start with introduction to the national identification theories used in this degree project.

(27)

2.3.1 Ways of describing national identification

Naujoks (2010) states: “There is a tendency of immigrants to merge with the mainstream and to assimilate with the mainstream culture. After two or three generations, nothing but the occasional knowledge of a certain ancestry might be left from the original belonging to the country of origin […]” (p.9).

2.3.1.1 Ethnic, national and Civic group formation

In order to understand how diaspora groups i.e. “people who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland” (oxford dictionaries) identify with their homeland, Daniel Naujoks (2010) created a model where an individual could ascribe to three different aspects of identification: ethnic, national or

Diasporic-civic (p.5). Diasporic-ethnic is here defined as sharing of same background to a certain

origin where a pan-community is built up and shared by its members. Diasporic-National is defined as sharing the same national belonging in the home country and Diasporic-civic is the identification with the state institutions and the government in the home country. These three aspects of identification are not exclusive and they can occur simultaneously (p.5-6).

This model gives us the understanding of how a diaspora works and how individuals inside it may identify with a social group. I will now continue with other important concepts to further understand how identification can be understood.

2.3.1.2 Self-categorization and self-identification

This is also part of the process in identification where ascription to membership in a group has to do with both belonging to the social group and borders to other social groups. Moreover, one’s ties with the country of origin is important because with time immigrants in the host community start to adapt and forget their history. Thus, the country of origin is many times interested in maintaining ties to diasporic communities for different purposes. Therefore notions and traditions of the country of origin is promoted so individuals easier can self-categorize and self-identify with their background. The diasporic community (based on the diasporic-ethnic identification) thus promotes traditions and culture so that diasporic members maintain their ties to the social group and, in the long-term, ties to the country of origin (Naujoks, 2010:9-10).

2.3.1.3 Commitment

According to Phinney (2004) commitment is built up by evaluation, importance and

(28)

ascription to a certain group because the level of how we commit will lead to weaker or stronger ties to our social group. Especially ethnic minorities living abroad will start to commit to their ethnic group belonging in their younger years (as children).

There is a constant ‘evaluation’ going on. For an individual to identify with a group belonging where ‘importance’ plays a key role because the ‘importance’ will tell the individual how important it is to belong the social group and why this matters. ‘Attachment’ to the group is also central to the understanding of group belonging for the individual (Phinney, 2004).

Naujoks (2010) argues that commitment and loyalty towards the diaspora will have consequences for the relation building and identification with the country of origin. A positive attachment to the ethnic group and a commitment to the group will lead to maintenance of group belonging and involvement in diasporic settings (p. 11).

2.3.1.4 Negotiation

Stuart Hall (2014) discuss the cultural identity and state that this is always negotiated through history, culture and power. He argues that one’s history is always re-negotiated and not a static essence in humans life. This explains that memory, narratives, myths and fantasies steer the way we understand ourselves and our heritage. Through actions in politics there are constant debates all over the world about our cultural identity and who we are. People are also trapped in between the past and the future where, Hall argues, a constant positioning is done in comparison with others, as such these cultural relations enables us to understand where we are in our cultural identities.

2.3.1.5 Multiple identities

Many times there is a tendency to categorize identities bipolar to either this or that, and that an individual only identifies in one way. However, this is not true because individuals ascribe to numerous identities. Research in the field of identification tells us that identifying is not a zero-sum game where only one identity is possible and when the next identity starts, the former one becomes lower or disappear (Hammar, 1985:449). As an alternative, studies inside the transnational sphere looks at this phenomenon by naming it hybrid identities (Naujoks, 2010).

(29)

2.4 Framework model for social integration

This research will be based on a model combined by three main perspectives (see figure 1), these are: Social integration, National identification and Interpersonal communication. These three perspectives are used to analyze to answer the research questions introduced earlier.

Figure 1, framework model for social integration (Larsson, 2018).

3 Methodology

This degree project has its basis in qualitative research where the understanding of a social phenomenon is studied through semi-structured interviews. Since my interest is to find out how participants in this social phenomenon think and reason on a deeper level, this method is appropriate to use (Brinkmann, 2012). I will now first introduce semi-structured interviews and then have a critical discussion about this choice in this degree project. After that I will present the method design, the interviews and the interviewees.

(30)

3.1 Semi-structured interviewing

As a part of obtaining data, interviewing will be one method. Then, the question will be how to best use this method in this scenario? I believe that using the semi-structured way could be a possible smart approach because, as a researcher, I have some bottom-line thoughts and concepts that I want to get answered. Additionally, a preferable way is to use a microphone to record interviews by the interviewee. According to Brinkmann, qualitative researchers usually use the semi-approach to let some spontaneous answers and descriptions come through (2012:2).

Moreover, this approach is wise to use because of the research questions nature, i.e. I want to have deeper answers to behaviors and how the Indians relate to their lives in Sweden, where Brinkmann suggests to use questions like “what” and “how” in order to get deeper into the interviewees thoughts and reasoning around research topics. Otherwise there is a risk of only having a shallow discussion where the interviewee answers without a thorough analysis (2012:3).

A final comment on the interviewing part is the dilemma of obtaining ‘truthful’ information and the risk of getting too close to the interviewees and their actual experiences in Sweden. In accordance with this, Brinkmann suggest that an interview could lead to a quasi-therapeutic moment and that the interviewer should be aware that this could lead to interviewees talking about private happenings that may be regretted later. Hence, it is important to be open about the study and what it aims to find and display. I believe the more open I as a researcher can be about the main questions, then the interview-process can be better performed.

3.2 Critical method discussion

In this qualitative research I have been culturally sensitive. Papadopoulos and Lees (2002) advocated for such an approach, otherwise data in multiethnic contexts might become invalid and not able to be used. Furthermore, having cultural knowledge will lead to lower levels of prejudice and stereotypes when performing research. Similarly, by using the emic view (the insider’s view) the research reach higher validity because the community researched will have a higher trust for the study and hence provide better insights to the research (p.261).

(31)

views. I have tried to be as open as possible to other influences and to understand my own interpretations of what others say or do in relation to my own experiences (Flick, 2009:16).

I am aware of issues with interviewees not answering correctly or in an honest way. By conducting numerous interviews this is one way of finding common patterns and lowering risks of falsity, which also increase levels of reliability where “patterns of thought and behavior” are emphasized (Fetterman, 2008:8). Brinkmann claims interviews could be viewed both as a knowledge producer and knowledge uncover process, which is interesting, because is it really possible to have full access to interviewees psyche? Instead I will use the interviewing technique in the best manner, often in a context where calmness is one fact and a noncompetitive context is a second fact to obtain as truthful information as possible (2008:5).

This degree project cannot be generalized and is restrained by a geographic area, Scania, in the south of Sweden. As such when I mention Sweden in general terms, this study has only obtained data in the area explained, hence generalizations about Indians living in Sweden are difficult to make. The interviewees also have a relative close connection to each other which leads to levels of group homogeneity (described more in 3.3.3) (Alvesson & Sköldberg, 2018).

All the names used during the research where erased in the finalization of the degree project in order to allow privacy, integrity and total conﬁdentiality. Instead the interviewees and people acknowledged in the study will be referred to as interviewee one, two and so on.

3.3 Method design

In this research I have decided to interview younger men and women from India. Here follows some arguments for doing this. First, mainly young Indian nationals comes to Sweden from India as high-skilled workers (Myrvold, 2012:8). According to the Swedish Migration Agency, Indians are the second biggest national group outside E.U. (after Thailand nationals) seeking for working permits in Sweden (Swedish Migration Agency 2). The 2018 statistics states 2,420 labor migrants applied for a working permit and another 2,088 were family members applying to stay in Sweden (Ibid). In total 29,673 Indian nationals lived in Sweden in 2017 (SCB) and most of the Indian nationals arrive to Sweden due to studies or work (Myrvold, 2012:10). Hence the first steps and

(32)

emotions upon arrival to the new country are of interest to the study. Second, this group is representative for the stereotypic high-skilled worker going abroad to work in foreign countries (Myrvold, 2012:24). Third, the age groups with highest domination (Indian nationals living in Sweden) are 25-34 years where in total 5,874 men and 5,256 women are registered with the second biggest age group being 35-44 years where 4,474 men and 3,918 women are registered (SCB 3). Thus, since the ages 25-44 years are highest representative among Indian nationals in Sweden, I have chosen to use this age span for this degree project. As a delimitation also mentioned by Myrvold (2012) those Indians being second or third generation migrants are not counted in this statistics, however according to Myrvold, most probably a slightly younger Indian population would be the result if they were (p.8).

3.3.1 Semi-structured interviews

I have performed nine long semi-structured interviews where deeper and stronger questions and discussions will gain important core data that will be later analyzed with the help of theories. The study was located in Malmö (six interviews), Lund (one interview) and Helsingborg (two interviews) in Sweden. Furthermore, I conducted the interview mostly in the homes where the interviewees live in order to see and understand under which conditions the interviewees live. The dates for the interviews spans from March 10th_{2018 to April 6}th_2018.

3.3.2 Delimitations

On delimitation is the access to the local language. According to Samovar et al language is one of the most important factors inside a culture and thus of major importance to understand not only what is said but also meanings and shared beliefs and values between the Indians. There will be no interpreter attached to the research who could have translated the local language used by the Indians to English (2012:15).

“If we research immigrant integration, there are good grounds to assume that willingness to participate in scientiﬁc studies is higher among better integrated immigrants. This is a problem we have to be aware of, in particular if we attempt to draw causal and generalizable inferences from our data” (Schunck, 2014).

3.3.3 Snowball sampling

The way I worked to find interviewees was quite interesting. It all started with the knowledge of the first interviewee. After this interview I asked if he knew another

Indian high-skilled labor migrants in Sweden - A study about social integration, interpersonal communication and national identification