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Stay sober! Meeting between Middle Eastern Immigrants and the Swedish Temperance Movement
Abstract
Stay sober! Meeting between Middle Eastern Immigrants and the Swedish Temperance Movement Like other Scandinavian countries, Sweden is becoming increasingly diverse. Since the late 1950s individuals born in countries in the Middle East have immigrated to Sweden. From this immigration follows a fascinating renewal of Swedish society. Swedish democracy is, to a large extent, built on 19th century "movements," such as the labor, women and temperance movements. These old movements have been weakened in the last decades due to the fact that the younger generations choose other forms of engagement. In the case of the temperance movement, however, a new trend has been observed as an "old" movement is renewed by both ethnic Swedes and "New Swedes" from the Middle East. The Temperance Movement encourages abstinence from substances that may be abused by members of a society, such as alcohol and drugs. Recently the old traditions of Swedish temperance movements and institutions are being challenged by "new" traditions of total abstainers coming from countries in the Middle East. The recent growth in membership of Swedish temperance movements is mostly due to enrolment by individuals from the Middle East. This value affinity between "old" traditions of total abstainers, a founding force of Swedish democracy, and "new" traditions, formed by immigrants from the Middle East, could serve as one venue for better integration of immigrant communities, an important element for the future evolution of democracy and human rights in Sweden. Furthermore, the case of the Temperance Movement in Sweden redirects the typical scholarly focus upon away the so-called "immigrant problem" in Scandinavia in particular and Europe in general. This paper is built on theories regarding community and conflict in the meeting between different value traditions as well as social movement theories. The theoretical perspectives are combined with in depth interviews with old "Swedish" and "new" members of the temperance movement in Sweden.
Discipline
Philosophy
Geographic Area
Europe
Sub Area
Identity/Representation