Jante bakom diskriminering och rasism?

Via Maria Appelqvist får jag tips om en amerikansk avhandling om jantelagen och rasism i Sverige (Turausky, Kevin J., "The Jante Law and Racism: A Study on the Effects of Immigration on Swedish National Identity" Masters Theses. Paper 551).

This paper focuses on how the Swedish social code known as The Jante Law plays a role in the prevalence of racism in Sweden, both on the individual and societal levels. Its core message that no one is superior to another fundamentally contradicts racism and informs government policy, but also reinforces institutionalized discrimination.

I first overview the history of Sweden’s interactions with non-Swedes and the shift in attitude regarding them. I then discuss the origins and nature of the Jante Law and how it functions as a hegemonic system as well as promoting certain behaviors as a component of governmentality. Furthermore, I analyze the trend of new cultures and ideas entering Swedish society and how such changes are causing the Jante Law to decline. I investigate how a culturally engrained notion of being modest and inconspicuous alters overt and covert racist discourse in Sweden.