AfroSwedishness as strategic and shared identity in two Swedish memoirs

As an emerging concept, AfroSwedish encompasses the multiple racialized and minoritized identities of Swedes with African ancestry. An AfroSwedish identity is often negotiated in relation to childhood experiences of racism, attempts to reconcile Swedishness with African origins or ancestry and eventually reconnecting with African roots. This article examines two memoirs, Slumpens barn: Den osannolika berättelsen om när Sverige mötte Gambia by Amat Levin and “ Såna som du ska inte va här ” by Marika Carlsson, which centre on living as a person of colour in Sweden with African origins or ancestry. AfroSwedishness as a community of sorts and an emerging shared identity for Swedes with African ancestry are narrated differently in the memoirs, with Carlsson’s memoir presenting a more critical stance and Levin’s a more celebratory perspective, indicating that reconnecting with parental homes and reconciling experiences of racism with pride in one’s heritage are deeply personal processes despite the pronounced political dimension. The identity work performed by the memoirs goes beyond personal narration, encouraging Swedes from all backgrounds to critically examine and acknowledge race and experiences of racism.