Academia and cultural production as ‘postmigrant’ fields in Sweden

The migrants’ and their descendants’ presence in leading positions in Europe is full of tensions and does not develop at the same pace in all professional fields. This project explores such processes of establishment in present-day Sweden, in academia and cultural production as the two fields in which migrants have the highest representation in leading positions in public institutions.

This project contributes to the emerging cross-European debate and research on the ‘postmigrant’ condition that acknowledges antagonistic positions towards migration, and struggles about participation and representation, but also highlights new alliances that are not reduced to origin or heritage. Our empirical interest is directed at the paths to recognition and professional influence of people who self-identify as migrants or migrant descendants, and work as university teachers and researchers on the one hand, and as authors, cultural journalists and professionals in performance arts on the other.

Spanning ethnology, migration and literary studies, the project explores different constellations of alliances between migrants, their descendants and ‘natives’, with a particular interest in the role of friendship. It addresses issues of professional influence and public visibility, and asks how they differ in the two fields. It also brings insights into the under-explored Arabic language-based cultural field in Sweden.