Pathways to rural resilience : A case study analysis of a rural municipality’s response to the “refugee crisis”

Abstract: In 2015, more than 160.000 people sought asylum in Sweden, twice as many as the year before and a number that far exceeded the Swedish Migration Agency’s estimation. This event tested society’s resilience capacities, as several Swedish institutions’ had to cope and adapt to the situation. By conducting a case study analysis of the local community’s response to the “refugee crisis” in a small Swedish municipality, this thesis aims to explore the pathways of rural resilience in a small Swedish municipality in response to unforeseen events, such as the “refugee crisis”. Drawing from Stenbacka’s (2013) work on rural resilience, this thesis identifies three converging pathways that contributed to forming a resilient rural community: 1) rural ties 2) open spaces for civil society, and 3) building on best practices. The findings illustrate how rural processes of learning and adapting to prevailing challenges help communities cope and adapt to unforeseen events and demonstrate how the prevailing planning discourse can benefit from adding a rural perspective. The findings also suggest a relationship between rural resilience and emotional citizenry, as the pathway to rural resilience enables spaces that unfold feelings of inclusion and belonging through interpersonal encounters.