The Scania enigma and geographies of solidarity: Place identities in the shadow of growing ethno-nationalism

The project focusses on the Sweden Democrats (SD) and the role of local and regional gendered place identities in contributing to the regional strength of ethno-nationalism, but also to alternative democratic societal projects that mitigate ethnonationalism.

It studies place identities both in regions where the SD is strong and weak, with the aim of understanding the role of place identities and the relationship to gender identities and diverse solidarities frames; posing the following research questions:What role do local and regional gendered place identities play in facilitating and constraining ethno-nationalist worldviews?Which myths of origin can be discerned from local political, municipal and media documents, and how are they invoked and contested by both ethno-nationalist and alternative democratic solidarity projects?What role does gender, class, ethnicity and age play in the construction and transformation of local and regional place identities?What role does local media play in shaping regional and local identities, constructions of “we” and “them” and solidarity agendas in parliamentary politics?The project is inspired by the reconceptualization of space in social theory and located within the fields of migration and ethnic studies, and gender scholarship.

Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative traditions. In sampling cases, the research focuses on capturing local and regional variations in the political strength of the SD.