Spaces and Narratives of Integration and Intercultural Dialogue in Malmö, Sweden.

Abstract: In today’s Europe which is facing increased immigration flows and xenophobic attitudes, there is a growing pressure on creating integration policies which have the ability of dismantling negative attitudes. As intercultural dialogue is believed to decrease these attitudes and create an inclusive society, the aim of this thesis has been to critically review the Swedish multicultural integration approach and focus on the possibilities for increased intercultural dialogue. I chose to focus on Malmö, a city which is believed to be extremely segregated, with the aim of mapping out the spaces and narratives of integration and intercultural dialogue. By doing so, I hoped to get an insight in what obstacles and opportunities there are for increased intercultural dialogue on a local level. With the help of extensive material and personal interviews, I came to the conclusion that Malmö lacks good structures for integration and intercultural dialogue; and there are not sufficient spaces where intercultural dialogue can take place. Malmö also needs further measures in order to combat the societal problems which arise due to various value clashes. There is a need to develop the cultural understanding and open up for a debate which freely discusses the most controversial issues of integration.