Language plays a crucial role in people’s ability to participate in education, working life, and society. However, language is about more than communication—it is also about access to opportunities, a sense of belonging, and future prospects.
For many newly arrived young people, the Language Introduction Programme at upper secondary school is their first encounter with the Swedish education system and an important stepping stone toward building a future in Sweden. This presentation explores how school organization and pedagogical practices can create conditions that support learning, participation, and progression to further studies.
The second presentation focuses on language requirements and language testing in recruitment to municipal elder care services. It examines how Swedish language proficiency is understood and linked to quality and safety in care work, how language skills are assessed, and what consequences language requirements may have for individuals’ opportunities to gain employment.
Together, the presentations provide a starting point for a broader discussion about language as both an opportunity and a prerequisite for participation in education, working life, and society.
This event is part of the Centre on Global Migration’s series on migration and integration in Swedish politics, which explores some of the most pressing issues ahead of the upcoming election. The Centre on Global Migration (CGM) is part of the University of Gothenburg.
Speakers
Jasmine Bylund holds a PhD in Subject Education with a specialization in Language Education and is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gothenburg. Her research focuses on multilingualism in education and society, with particular attention to the role of language in learning, participation, and belonging, as well as issues of language ideologies, power, inclusion, and social justice.
Anna Winlund is a Senior Lecturer in Swedish as a Second Language and an Assistant Professor of Subject Education with a specialization in Swedish at the University of Gothenburg. Her research focuses on the teaching of Swedish as a second language and multilingual literacy practices in a variety of contexts.
Moderator
Giulia Messina Dahlberg, Senior Lecturer, Department of Education and Special Education, 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.
