Misrepresenting Muslims? Critical Perspectives on Migration Policy Change in Sweden 2015-2023

Drawing upon an analytical combination of critical security studies (CST) and intersectional theory (IT), we in this article focus on migration policy in Sweden 2015-2023 with a particular focus on representations of Islam and Muslims. Using thematic analysis, arguments, and statements raised by key political actors, i.e., the Swedish Government and the radical-right/retrotopian party Sweden Democrats, we study the threats as perceived to legitimize the Swedish Government’s turn to a more restrictive stance. Exploring the official, justifying points of this policy turn, we also exemplify our approach by referencing policy repercussions related to the Russian attack on Ukraine. Outstanding findings in the material include continuous attempts to de-masculinize Muslim men who are constructed interchangeably as welfare recipients, violent and eager terrorists, exponents of criminal behavior in general, or failing in their role as protectors of women and children. All in all, these findings are representations of a particular ‘Swedish’ culture, the welfare state and individual responsibility implicating a mission to save a national ‘We’ from a foreign ‘Them’ built around negative stereotypes of Muslims. In addition to illustrating the analytical strength of securitization theory, we also demonstrate the complementary capacity of intersectional theory for an analysis of migration policy change.