Att tillhöra "både och" -en kvalitativ studie om identitetsuppfattningen hos svenskfödda tjejer med utländsk bakgrund

The concept of identity and a sense of belonging in a multicultural- and multiethnic society are complicated. The aim of this study was to examine how young Swedish-born women of foreign origin perceive their identity when they belong to two or several cultures. Six young women with foreign origin were interviewed through partly themed and semi-structured interviews to share their experience on how they perceived their identity. The interviews were based on three main fields, external factors which include society and neighborhood, family / network factors and internal factors such as religion and the individual components in relation to identity and a sense of belonging. Three theoretical perspectives and concepts were used to analyze the results: Culture and cultural identity, ethnic identity and third identity. The results showed that the external, internal, family and network factors interact and overlap; therefore, they act as an underlying structure of the analysis and are not divided. The majority of the interviewees had a stronger sense of belonging to their foreign origin than to Sweden. They all identified themselves with the country of origin even though they are perceived as Swedes there. Nevertheless the results indicated that they do not perceive themselves as Swedes in Sweden. Most of the young interviewees experienced a feeling of belonging with their neighborhood because of the surroundings of relatives, family and friends. The interviewees also perceived themselves as “immigrants” but also because of the society still define and perceive them as “immigrants” even though they have not immigrated and are born in Sweden. A sense of belonging to the religion was also a meaningful factor for all of the interviewees. Due to their experiences of being in between two or more cultures, speaking at least two languages, having several senses of belongings, having the ability to change cultural codes in a multicultural and multiethnic society in Sweden, the interviewees had developed an identity which is transboundary – a third identity