"In Sweden, We Are Uzbeks, in Uzbekistan, We Are Swedes": Selective Integration among Migrant Women from Uzbekistan in Sweden Situational Identity at Play

Abstract

This article explores how female migrants from Uzbekistan negotiate ethno-cultural identity, gender roles and sense of belonging within the Swedish sociocultural context. Based on in-depth interviews with highly educated Uzbekistani women, it shows that integration is not a linear or uniform process. Participants demonstrated complex and context-dependent ways of integrating into the sociocultural life of Sweden, selecting elements both from their country of origin and from the host society. The article argues that situational identity is the mechanism through which this selective integration is accomplished.