Trajectories of inclusion: A longitudinal study of lived experiences among people seeking protection in Sweden
This study examines how people migrating to Sweden in 2014/2015 for protection are oriented in a new space, and how their orientation and meaning-making changes over time. Based on a longitudinal design, where we interviewed the participants on two occasions a few years apart (2018 and 2022), we use Sara Ahmed’s concept of orientation to analyze the participants’ lived experiences of agency and inclusion in Sweden. The analysis shows a strong orientation towards learning Swedish and find employment, but also difficulties and a range of obstacles. Language learning and language education makes it possible to organize one’s hope for a better future but may also create institutional stops. Participants’ experiences also illustrate the importance of study associations’ inclusive arrangement, which creates accessible social spaces. Against the background of recent repressive migration policies in Sweden, the article discusses how public discourses on “failed integration” tends to render invisible efforts and strategies among people seeking protection in the country, in pursuit of inclusion and a better future.