Narratives of ambivalence by Dutch lifestyle migrants in Hällefors, Sweden.

• The proposed text discusses contradictory and ambivalent discourses between life before and life after migration. Hällefors is a rural Swedish municipality coping with unfavourable conditions of economic stagnation and population decline. In an attempt to turn this tide, a Holland-project was conducted between 2004 and 2007. The aim of the project was to attract a number of Dutch families, preferably with young children. This would assist in sustaining social services such as day care at a local level. Moreover, as the adults are of working age, and economically active in creative industries, an additional aim of the project was to facilitate adaptation from heavy industry to a knowledge economy. Around 50 Dutch families settled in Hällefors in the early 21st century. During and after interviews with the remaining families their attitude towards return is investigated. The aim of this study is to examine the migration process of Dutch lifestyle migrants in Hällefors and their ambivalent attitudes towards return, and thereby, to give voice to the hope, pain, nostalgia and triumph of lives lived in other places (King et al. 1995). Consequently, the empirical question is 'after migrating to Hällefors, what influences the Dutch households' attitude towards return?' This question is addressed through an interview study, conducted in 2011. As studied in this text, the direction of the move (north), the destination (a problematic municipality) and the structure for the decision process (a municipality actively attracting incomers in cooperation with an agency) are novel aspects to existing studies of lifestyle migration.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Social och ekonomisk geografi -- Kulturgeografi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Social and Economic Geography -- Human Geography (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Dutch lifestyle migrants

rural Sweden

interview study

ambivalence

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)