Sweden's journey through the post-war landscape reveals a profound and deliberate transformation in its understanding of race and racism, a trajectory explored through a collection of insightful studies. The nation, once a pioneering force in race science, embarked on a path of "deracialization" after 1945, systematically dismantling the concept of race until it became largely taboo within public discourse and official language. This shift profoundly reshaped Swedish society, fostering a unique form of anti-racism characterized by an insistent "colorblindness."
As the mid-20th century progressed, particularly from the late 1960s, a distinct break with earlier racial thinking solidified. The idea that race should hold no sway in politics, society, or culture, and that the very word itself should be avoided or even eradicated, took firm root. This commitment to colorblindness emerged prominently during the debates surrounding transnational adoption in the 1960s, where proponents argued that Sweden, free from a colonial past, was uniquely positioned as a less racist nation, capable of integrating non-white children into its progressive society without acknowledging racial distinctions.
Yet, this embrace of colorblindness, while seemingly progressive, concealed a complex reality. The anthology delves into how, despite official efforts to become a post-racial society where race is deemed irrelevant for discussions of discrimination, the legacy of Swedish whiteness persisted. It highlights how being "white" often became synonymous with being "Swedish," creating an underlying ideology that struggled to reconcile with a rapidly diversifying population. This tension reveals a nation grappling with a self-image of homogeneity and progressiveness while navigating the evolving demographics of its citizenry.
The studies within this collection illuminate various spheres where this deracialization played out. They examine the claims of geneticists like Arne Müntzing regarding human races, the integration of "colored" children into the "white folk home," and the evolution from race hygiene to broader "race problems" within the educational system. Furthermore, the anthology scrutinizes how figures like Gunnar Myrdal contributed to an "analogical solidarity" that shaped Sweden's self-perception on the global stage, positioning it as a moral leader in anti-racism while often externalizing racism as an issue belonging to other nations.
The book further explores the practical implications of this colorblind approach, including the active efforts by Sweden to abolish the concept of race in international organizations and its own governmental policies, even while simultaneously implementing action plans against structural racism. This paradox underscores a deep-seated reluctance to engage with race as a social construct, often substituting it with terms like "ethnicity," "culture," or "religion" in public and academic discourse.
Through detailed case studies drawn from archival materials, daily press, interviews, and social media, the anthology constructs a comprehensive cross-section of Swedish attitudes. It exposes how political debates, institutional practices, migration patterns, and even marketing strategies have reflected and reinforced this unique, often contradictory, relationship with race. The collective insights reveal a society that, in its determined pursuit of colorblind anti-racism, has at times struggled to confront the lived experiences of racialization and the persistent, albeit unspoken, structures of racial thinking.
