Sense of place in providers’ perspectives of school placement policies in relation to refugee settlement in rural Sweden

Abstract

During the initial phase of the refugee wave in 2015 rural municipalities in Sweden were obliged for the first time to receive refugees. Some rural officials welcomed refugees in hopes that it would counter population declines and future staffing problems. Some officials also referred to rural areas as idylls for reception, well equipped for reception arguing that small places are better for integration. This raised placement issues, which varied widely among three identified categories of municipalities (tourist towns and/or sparsely populated areas, de/industrialised towns, and small villages). We explored these issues by interviewing respondents in 21 municipalities. We selected three municipalities to represent the three categories and analysed responses of our informants within them to obtain insights into their views of the refugees' reception and associated issues. For this we applied a Masseyian ‘sense of place’ and ‘power geometry’ theoretical framework. Wide variations among municipalities were reported. However, common themes included: a lack of relevant training initially; rapid establishment of organisational arrangements and competences; segregation in some municipalities due to placement in segregated housing (which raised informants' awareness of social class-based divisions); and changes in status or requirements for migrants to relocate (with very little warning) that severely impacted the refugees' transitions. The results clearly indicate needs for more long-term and robust policies to avoid problems associated with refugees' ‘liminal citizenship’ and weak power, with consequent impacts on their educational transitions and subsequent prospects.