How Sweden Became Multicultural

Sweden prides itself on being a multicultural society, with a large fraction of its population originating in a diverse number of countries. Multiculturalism in Sweden is beyond criticism; the idea that Sweden might be anything but multicultural would strike the average Swedish citizen as absurd and even morally reprehensible. Yet this is a recent development. For its entire history prior to the 1970s, Sweden was a monocultural society, and the idea that Sweden would ever be anything but the nation-state of ethnic Swedes would have struck the average Swede as equally absurd and reprehensible.

This book presents, for the first time, the story of how Sweden became multicultural. It documents the debate in the media, focusing on the major contributors who shaped the attitude of modern Sweden towards multiculturalism. Through this, it makes clear to the reader that this change did not originate from within Sweden, but was pushed for most energetically by Swedish residents from other ethnicities. Who were they? What were the motives guiding their advocacy? Was it made with the best interests of Swedes in mind? The answers are enlightening, and sometimes disturbing, but essential for confronting the question of a multicultural Sweden, and a multicultural West, moving forward.