"I feel like both, I belong both here and there" : A qualitative study on unaccompanied Syrian youths experience of identity and belonging in Sweden

The aim of this study is to gain an understanding for how unaccompanied Syrian youths perceive their own identity in Sweden and what they perceive has been significant or obstructed their inclusion in the Swedish society. This has been achieved by applying a qualitative method, whereas semi-structured interviews with six unaccompanied Syrian youths have been conducted. The theory used in the analysis are the theories of "hybrid identity" and "belonging". The findings of the study show that all interviewees perceive themselves to have a combination of both Swedish and Syrian identities. Moreover, the findings show that the interviewees perceived several obstructions to their inclusion in Swedish society. These include racist remarks, limited freedom, language barriers, and lack of social networks. The interviews also show that knowledge of the language, education and work as well as social contact networks are important factors to get the feeling of belonging to the Swedish society. Lastly, the findings show that they perceived positive aspects and possibilities for unaccompanied youths outnumber the perceived obstructions for inclusion in Swedish society