Love ain't got no color? : Attitude toward interracial marriage in Sweden

[The Ripper]

This dissertation focuses on the geographical area of Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden, and examines the majority society’s opinions and attitudes toward interracial dating, marriage and childbearing. The dissertation is driven by two theoretical frames: the theory of race as ideas constructed through the perception of visible differences and the theory of prejudice and stereotypes. Mixed methods have been chosen as a means of exploring people’s attitudes toward interracial relationships. Quantitative data was collected by means of an attitude survey and the qualitative data was collected by means of follow-up interviews with some of the respondents who participated in the survey. The study shows that although their attitudes vary depending on the different groups in question, the majority of the respondents and interviewees could imagine getting involved in interrelationships and would not react negatively if a family member got involved in such a relationship. The quantitative results address the importance of intimate contacts, in other words having friends of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in having more positive attitudes toward interracial dating, marriage and childbearing. Age, gender, education and the place of upbringing also affects people’s attitudes. The qualitative inquiry probes the reasoning behind the survey results and points to the complicated relations between individual attitudes and the sense of group position. The interviewees’ words depict color-blind ways of talking about attitudes toward interracial marriage and different groups. Ideas of race emerge in this color-blind reasoning and the role of visible difference is highlighted both through the quantitative and qualitative inquiries.

The Prologue was a rather interesting clue...


PROLOGUE

A young East Asian PhD student attends a conference in Europe dominat- ed by white researchers. A white middle-aged male researcher looks at her name badge and realizes that her “foreign” name and the country in which she is pursuing her PhD do not match.

“You are not Swedish are you? Why are you in Sweden?”

She explains that she moved to Sweden because her husband is a Swede. He starts talking about mail order brides and personal contact advertise- ments and how horrible they are. Half jokingly he asks her:

“...but you are not one of these mail order brides are you?”

All she can do is to say “No. I met my husband when we were studying in the US.” She makes the point of saying that nowadays personal contacts are probably made through the Internet to a greater extent than before. He replies with a smile, and says:

“Oh yes, that is true. But I am sure that you are not one of them.”

This is my life. This is my paranoia.

PDF (http://dspace.mah.se/bitstream/handle/2043/12449/LOVE_AINT_GOT_NO_COLOR%5b1%5d.pdf?sequence=2)

[research_centre]

I don't pay attention to such things. I have yet to read a dissertation that isn't personal.

IMHO dissertations are always put together and written out with the author's personal agenda at the forefront. This proves my point to my mind:

"The study shows that although their attitudes vary depending on the different groups in question, the majority of the respondents and interviewees could imagine getting involved in interrelationships and would not react negatively if a family member got involved in such a relationship."

I received an A in college statistics. I could prove God by a statistical study, if need be.

[Tarja]

Biased personal agenda-pushing, yawn. One might wonder if the reason that the person feels the need to prove that native Swedes don't mind foreigners/their mixed relationships is the fact that native Swedes absolutely do mind (or are at least beginning to). These seem to be the words of someone who is questioned often on their reasons for being in Sweden, a question to which they don't really have a convincing answer, so they've written this whole thing in an effort to justify their existence there. I wouldn't trust it to tell me what Swedes truly think of the subject.

[The Ripper]

I suggest reading the study. I haven't gone through it all, but it does contain some interesting data concerning the attitudes of various groups towards various other groups.

[Tarja]

I've been reading it, and it is interesting, I won't dispute that. :)

[Argyll]

Poor Swedes :( I hope that that study isn't accurate. How are Swedes becomming so liberal?

[The Ripper]

Poor Swedes :( I hope that that study isn't accurate. How are Swedes becomming so liberal?

Swedes aren't becoming liberal, they're slowly turning more conservative.

[Argyll]

Swedes aren't becoming liberal, they're slowly turning more conservative.

Really? How so? That's amazing!

[The Ripper]

Really? How so? That's amazing!

They've been über-liberal for decades now. I think a backlash is slowly but surely developing. You can see an example of that trend in the Sweden Democrats entering parliament.

[Argyll]

They've been über-liberal for decades now. I think a backlash is slowly but surely developing. You can see an example of that trend in the Sweden Democrats entering parliament.

What have they been doing?