Swedish Exceptionalism in Transition : Theorizing Nation, Race, and Gender in a Changing Welfare Regime

The shifting dynamics of exceptionalism in Sweden are at the center of this chapter, which examines how race and gender are mobilized to reshape the national identity of Sweden. By a close reading of the party programs and related materials of the right-wing parties currently in government, the chapter highlights how a caring form of racism is enacted to reinforce national core values, and how gender equality, race and ethnicity are appropriated for nationalist and racist purposes. The chapter finds that these enactments imply a significant shift in relation to previous stances on exceptionalism in Sweden and on the image of Sweden as a global forerunner, by a purposeful diminishing of Sweden’s international attractiveness, and by the construction of migrants and feminists as threatening the national values. While recognizing the difficult dynamics characterizing previous exceptionalist positionings in Sweden, the chapter sheds light on the new complexities that arise following these attempts to reshape the nation, its essence and borders. By way of conclusion, cultural policy is illuminated as a key area for the ongoing efforts to further establish and solidify these notions of a homogenous essence of the nation.