Stories about Strangers in Sweden

When?

Monday 26 March 2007

Where?

University of Surrey

Open to:

Public, Staff, Students

Speaker:

Prof Bo Petersson

Professor Bo Petersson, Department of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden

Negative stereotypes about immigrants and strangers exist in all societies and countries. For many, immigrants represent a threat and a challenge to the ingrained habits and traditions of the majority. In order to analyse majority-minority encounters, this study uses perspectives from sub-fields of theoretical study that are closely related but rarely, if ever, brought together: perceptions of socio-cultural risk; stereotype formation, scapegoating and enemy images, mass media reporting on immigrants, and the study of everyday practices, or quite simply, the mundane. Using three neighbouring small towns in Sweden as case studies, Stories about Strangers follows the local discourse, primarily through the daily newspaper of the communities, to assess and evaluate the views and/or prejudices about immigrants.