Identity and immigration                                                                                                            - A qualitative study with unaccompanied refugee children Jennie Hamberg Larsson and Matthew McNeillThe main purpose of this study is to illuminate and describe how unaccompanied refugee children experience changes and reconstructions to their identity after immigration to Sweden. Using qualitative interviews this study looks at how social relationships in Sweden and a foreign background influence the reconstruction of unaccompanied refugee children´s identity. The base for our analysis is Identity theory while roll concepts, social Identity theory and concepts of ethnic and national identity are used to give deeper insight into the experiences of three unaccompanied refugee children. Important results found included a connection between the way that identity is formed in relationships, especially with significant others, in the country of origin and how reconstruction of identity develops in the new country with new social relationships. Furthermore the results showed how this reconstruction of identity can be linked to different acculturation strategies that incorporate the importance of an ethnic identity and a national identity.Keywords: identity, ethnic identity, unaccompanied children, immigration.

Background: Literature regarding brand identity within the service industry is relatively under developed. As a result one theory is used for both the service and product brands, even though there is a significant difference between a product and a service. As a result of this, the brand identity within the service industry has consequences. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the brand identity within the service industry. This is done by focusing on how and why this work is done.

In this thesis the construction of identity within the EU is discussed. A thesis problem in three dimensions is used to explain the purpose of the construction, its realization and the consequences of such identity. These aspects show the complexity of the problems related to identity construction on a structural level.By using a post-modern and a social constructivist theoretical approach identity is presented as socially constructed by discourse. The theory of discourse makes it possible to analyze the development of an identity forming discourse within the EU and its status today.With an approach inspired by critical theory, we use discourse analysis as a methodological tool to illustrate the ideas that govern discourse, and in what way it is related to the social reality.The analysis states that the purpose of identity constructing is the striving for legitimacy. Without identification, the legitimacy is threatened.

The study investigated pensioners? forming of identity during the ageing process and the correlation between norms and identity. Previous research has shown that there are norms and notions about elderly and what growing old well implies. There is missing research on the level of the individual with norms, ageing and the process of identity formation. There is a large population of pensioners in Sweden and the authors behind this study wish that the results of it will help study counsellors to approach pensioners? in a norm critic way.

Postcolonial feminist theory says that ones identity is constructed by severalfactor, not only gender but even culture, ethnicity and class imbedded in the socialcontext. This paper examines what happens to women's identities if the socialcontext changes. Does an identity shift occur? By interviewing five women fromBosnia-Herzegovina I try to understand the affects migration has on women?sidentity. Postcolonial feminist theory says that our identities are constantlychanging, as their constructing factors.

The study examines conceptions of identity among girls with foreign background. The aim was to study how identity is understood by the girls based on ethnicity, images of the origin, the value of gender and the meaning of the family. The theoretical approach was post-colonial theory based on Stuart Hall in combination with gender theory by Yvonne Hirdman. The study was conducted using qualitative individual interviews of open character with six girls. They were aged 17-18 years old and were born in Sweden or had lived here since the age of six.

This paper describes what some 9th grade students think of their sex education in school, especially when it comes to gender, sexual identity, norms and deviation. I have been using group interviews in two different schools, two groups per school. The result of the students' answers have been analysed on the basis of queer theory focusing on gender and sexual identity. The result of the study shows that the students consider their sexual education to be lacking, especially when it comes to gender, sexual identity, norms and deviation. Another conclusion of the analysis is that a sex education grounded in queer theory would be more inclusive..

The purpose of this study was to try to develop a better understanding of the process that being a member in a new religious movement might imply, and to find out how the identity of a defector changes from the time upon entering the movement, while they are within the movement and after leaving the movement. We also wanted to examine what kind of help and support would be needed around a defection. The study focuses on identity and our questions were: How does the defector describe him/herself and his/her identity before joining the new religious movement until the period after defecting? What demand for support and help may there be when defecting from new religious movement? The theoretical starting point was The Identity theory, Structural Role Theory and KASAM. A qualitative method was used and four defectors from new religious movements were interviewed.

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to bring understanding to one of the problems theinternationally adopted in Sweden might face, the identity dilemma. In order to do so, a theory of identity construction, Constructionism, is used. This theory says that the construction of identities is a constantly continuing process, influenced, not only by our own perception of ourselves, but also by how we are viewed and treated by otherpeople.Given this theoretic starting point, an examination of the adoptees? everydayencounters in the Swedish society is made, using an autobiography, a biography, a collection of interviews, and newspaper articles. The result shows that the internationally adopted, although they are Swedish both by mind and by law, experience that they have been, and sometimes still are, confronted with strong attitudes such as racism, prejudice and stereotypes.Furthermore, those who experience the identity dilemma often refer to how they are perceived by ?the others?, or to what the encounters with ? the real? Swedes have been like.

The theory chapter is based on a model about brand identity, ?Brand Identity Prism? (Kapferer, 2008, s.183). This model contains six elements which we have supplemented with theories about personal branding. This because the focus and theory on a person's brand identity is almost non-existent. The purpose of the study is therefore to examine how editors at fashion magazines are working with their brand identity in the personal brand and thereby create an understanding of the identity function.

Taiwan has over the past thirty years experienced a substantial political transformation. Being ruled by Chinese nationalists since World War II, Taiwan started its democratic transition in the late eighties. The new democratic system did not only provide people with freedom to vote, it also marked the beginning of a search for a new national identity. Based on the international theory of constructivism, this paper defines and studies the Taiwanese people?s progression away from a dominant Chinese national identity towards a uniquely defined Taiwanese identity.

Few studies enlighten the problem associated with the dialectical relationship between adults and adolescents and how that affects the construction of identity for adolescent?s, in relation to two areas that are closely bordering to each other but differs socioeconomically whereas one area is much weaker on resources than the other. These two areas is Högberget and Haganäs, which are situated in a larger city in Sweden.For us to be able to enlighten this problem we have chosen to use an inductive research approach so that we can explain how adolescents construct their identity and how the organized spare time, in addition with the influence of adults, impacts on adolescents construction of their identity.Therefore we have used interviews as method, both group and individual, so it can regulate which theories that influence our study. The two theories that wires through the entire study are firstly Peter L. Bergman and Thomas Luckmanns theory on social construction where the idea is that the human being is an active social being that constructs its own reality.

In this thesis I discuss and analyze different factors, and different circumstances, that influence identity negotiation among the north american indians. I do this mainly by using two models.The first one is Druckmans three dimensions of identity; negotiating identity, durability of identity and spread of identity. Depending on how the identity fits in these dimensions one can se if, or how, they influence the negotiability.My second model for analyzing is Reeds ?fasteing and unfastening identity?, using this model I have tried to understand during what circumstances the identity is negotiable. The identity is more or less negotiable depending on where the indians live, who they are living with and also on their inheritance.My results shows that the indian identity is changing and developing over time but the main characteristics still remains the same.

The aim of this study is to go into depth and analyze the identity ?immigrant? (invandrare) and how it is constituted in Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and Sydsvenska Dagbladet. An investigation (SOU 2006:21) by Swedish authorities concludes that immigrants are portrayed in an unfavorable way in Swedish media, whilst Gunnar Sandelin in a debate article in Sweden?s biggest morning newspaper (Dagens Nyheter) meant that Swedish media lies about immigrants, creating an image of them that is too favorable that is not in touch with reality. This gives this thesis momentum to further investigate the identity immigrants are given in Swedish media.The theory and method used in this thesis is Laclau?s and Mouffe?s discourse theory.

Today Europe is faced with an identity crisis concerning its borders. Turkey stands at the threshold for an EU-membership while the EU-Commission is trying to formulate what constitutes a European identity. This identity seeking process will determine the future not only for Turkey, but also for immigrants now living in Europe.In this thesis a discourse analysis, underpinned by socialconstructionist theory, is conducted to explore how the European identity has been constructed throughout history up until today. A starting point is that identity always is defined through a dialectical relationship to "otherness". Therefore the analysis is focused not only on what a European identity consists of but also what and who it excludes.