“Vad är svenskhet för er?” *Lång tystnad* : En receptionsstudie om vilken roll filmen ”Sveriges bästa svensk” spelar i diskussioner som berör svenskhet och integration.

Title: “What is Swedishness for you?” *Long silence* – A reception study about what role film as a medium with the film “Sveriges bästa svensk” can play in discussions that consist of Swedishness and integration. Authors: Emma D Markovic and Martin Nilsson. Research problem: In terms of reception of film in order to generate discussions on a determined theme, we identified a gap in the research field of integration and Swedishness. Therefore this study fills a great space in this field. Aim & Research question: This study aims to add new research of the reception of film in relation to the concept of Swedishness. It’s written in the media and communication science field. The key question is: What role film as a medium with the film "Sveriges bästa svensk" as an example, can play to generate discussion and question the perception of Swedishness. Method/material: Qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with two groups consisting of people aged 50–80 years, where elders borned in Sweden and Iran were represented. Theoretical framework: Stuart Hall's theory of encoding/decoding which is enhanced by the following concepts: Swedishness, identity, ethnicity and cultural adjustment. Main results: It is shown that film plays an important role when it comes to generating discussion about Swedishness, but also that film as a medium is complex when it comes to reception and interpretation. In light of the theory it is clear that a majority of the participants have difficulties to relate to the film or even accept the story because of their preconceptions. It also proves to be difficult for all participants to point out what is typically Swedish, but during the discussions codes that distinguishes the Iranian culture from the Swedish are found, which helps them to more easily discern the things that are perceived as Swedish. Social importance: We want to contribute to the social debate about integration in contemporary Sweden. We found that film can be used to raise questions related to this subject. Number of pages: 40. Course: Media and communication studies C. University & Department: Uppsala University, Department of Informatics. Period: HT 2016. Tutor: Paola Sartoretto