Intergenerational Non-belonging: Minority Identities and Mental Health in Swedish-Finnish Families

We examine in this project how ethnic minority identities, along with related experiences of marginalization and discrimination, are transmitted across generations. We investigate how these experiences influence the identities and mental health of descendants in families with a migrant background. We approach these questions by focusing on the diverse group of Swedish Finns. In particular, we focus on the senses of belonging and non-belonging among the children and grandchildren of those who migrated from Finland to Sweden in the 1940s–1970s, and on how these experiences are shared within families. We also explore how belonging to a minority and intersecting group memberships function as psychological resources for families and individuals.

In the project, we collect survey and interview data from descendants of Swedish Finns. We understand Swedish Finnishness broadly, including Finnish-background minority groups such as Ingrians, Karelians from Russia, and Roma. The project combines social-psychological research on social identity and health with memory studies and sociohistorical minority studies. Through its interdisciplinary and multi-method approach, the project generates new knowledge about the intergenerational effects of minority identities and experiences of marginalization.