Welcome to a panel discussion at the Gothenburg City Library. The event will begin with brief presentations from the panelists, followed by an in-depth conversation about how migration and diversity are portrayed in public discourse and how these narratives can be challenged.
Today, public debate is often dominated by the idea that differences between “Swedes” and “immigrants” represent one of society’s greatest challenges. Political rhetoric increasingly frames migration as an existential threat. This conversation seeks to critically examine the contemporary fixation on the notion of “failed integration.”
Drawing on research and fieldwork, the panel will present an alternative perspective: a Sweden in which diversity is already an ordinary and integral part of everyday life. The discussion will explore how people navigate, negotiate, and resist the conditions shaped by these debates, as well as how they imagine and enact forms of social life that transcend ethnic and cultural boundaries.
This event is part of the Centre on Global Migration’s series on migration and integration in Swedish politics, which addresses some of the most pressing issues in the lead-up to the 2026 election. CGM is part of the University of Gothenburg.
Panelists
Lisa Åkesson
Professor of Anthropology, Department of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg. Her research focuses on transnational migration, North–South migration, and diversity in everyday life.
Mostafa Hosseini
Doctoral Researcher, Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg. His research explores migration and belonging through creative and participatory methods.
Signe Askersjö
Postdoctoral Researcher in Migration Studies, Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, University of Gothenburg, and member of the research platform Borders in Medicine, Health and Society. Her research examines how migration policy shapes healthcare systems and practices.
Moderator
Johan Järlehed
Professor of Multilingualism, Department of Swedish, Multilingualism and Language Technology, University of Gothenburg.
About the Seminar Series
During the 2026 election year, migration and integration remain high on the political agenda. At the same time, public debate is marked by deep divisions. But what does research tell us?
Throughout the year, the Centre on Global Migration (CGM) at the University of Gothenburg is hosting a seminar series in which researchers offer different perspectives on one of the most debated issues of our time. Participants will gain insight into current research findings and lessons learned from practical work in areas that are central to Sweden’s migration policy debates.
The aim is to create a meeting place where academic knowledge, professional experience, and broader societal perspectives can come together.
The series includes lectures, panel discussions, and seminars, and is open to the general public, students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
By bringing together research, and public debate, the seminar series seeks to contribute to a more informed and evidence-based conversation about migration and integration in Sweden during the 2026 election year.
Programme Autumn 2026
- 7 september, kl. 18.00-19.30, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on suburban communities as political scapegoats in the public debate?
- 9 October, 10:00–12:00, Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg: Seminar at the Department of Education and Special Education on the politics of language testing and critical perspectives on assessment and language education for migrants
- 13 October, 18:00-19:00, Gothenburg City: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on the ongoing crisis at Europe’s borders: silenced voices and forbidden places.
- 14 October, 12:00–13:00, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on Language Introduction, Language Testing, and the Conditions for Participation.
- 24 November, 18:00–19:30, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on “integration panic” and diversity in everyday life.
