Rätt kropp för integration och arbete: En etnologisk studie av kurser för nyanlända och arbetssökande

The Correct Body for Integration and Work An ethnological study of courses for newly arrived and jobseekers   Karin Högström   Using ethnographic examples from Sweden this article focuses on a form of training through which people are taught new movements and postures to use during different processes; it also includes transmission of certain attitudes and ideals. These examples demonstrate how certain bodies, bodily attitudes and behaviors are perceived as problematic and are therefore considered in need of change. In the integration-project Right step (Rätt steg) in Stockholm, great emphasis is placed on bodily aspects. Newly arrived Somali refugees without previous education are assisted to practice “correct” behavior and posture during job interviews: stand and walk upright, make eye-contact and give a firm handshake. Participants are also encouraged to eat healthier and exercise more. Courses at the Swedish Public Employment Agency instruct jobseekers how to make a good impression on potential employers. Here, too, appropriate behavior and posture are addressed, and the correct way to shake hands and establish eye contact is taught. The teachers aim at changing not only the participants’ behavior, but also their manners and, to a certain extent, their attitudes. The goal is to purposefully adapt bodies and minds to the expectations and ideals of potential employers and Swedish society. Conforming to the behavior and norms provided by the teachers can seem to be the only viable option for the participants, given their subordinate position as immigrants or jobseekers. The course participants’ own ideals and physical attitudes are assigned low or almost no value. The asymmetry of power is also evident to those responsible and sometimes the participants protest against the teachers’ attempts to change them. However, learning the new norms and behaviors can provide benefits for the course participants. Mastering the codes can, to a certain extent, make it possible to choose how to use the new skills. Learning the correct behaviors can thus lead to a greater freedom of action, within very limited conditions