Available in Russian
Author: Alexander Cherkasov
DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2026-1-162-188
Keywords: multiculturalism; welfare state; national identity; migration; civil integration; family relations; labor market; ethnic enclaves.
The article deals with the problems of Swedish multiculturalism, the main principles of which were equality, freedom of choice and partnership. Immigrants and their children were given the opportunity to preserve their language, practice cultural activities and maintain contacts with their country of origin. The most important challenge facing contemporary Swedish multiculturalism has been the increasing influx of migrants from non-European (especially Muslim) countries, who have usually received permission to live and work for political or humanitarian reasons. Such migration flows do not correspond to cyclical demand in the labor market, but are rather linked to the severity of ethnic conflicts and civil wars around the world. A certain critical turn in the assessment of multiculturalism occurred in Sweden as a result of the migration crisis of 2015, caused primarily by the aggravation of the political situation in the countries of the Arab East. In the current situation, the need to revise the policy of multiculturalism and move towards civic integration, which involves a more complete inclusion of immigrants in the labor market and public life of Sweden, has begun to be discussed more actively. The welfare state, with which Swedish national identity is closely linked, remains a source of pride for Swedes. At the same time, however, the paradoxes of the existing social model are not always noticed, and in particular, how the independence of individuals from other people, and first and foremost from members of their families, proclaimed within its framework, is replaced for many by a growing dependence on the state. The tolerance inherent in the Swedes does not give them immunity from various kinds of populist and xenophobic sentiments, and the migration problem is increasingly viewed through the prism of the need to ensure security for the native population. There is a growing sense of incompatibility between the welfare state and its real possibilities with the constant influx of migrants, which is facilitated by the mental diversity of native Swedes and some of the newly arrived.
About the author: Alexander Cherkasov – Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D.) in Law, Associate Professor, Chief Research Fellow, Human Rights Department, Institute of State and Law, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Citation: Cherkasov A. (2026) Shvedskiy mul'tikul'turalizm pered litsom sovremennykh vyzovov [Swedish multiculturalism facing modern challenges]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 162–188. (In Russian).
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