Perceptions of place within paradoxes of inclusion and exclusion: the case of unaccompanied youth migrants in Sweden

Abstract

This thesis focuses on unaccompanied youth migrants in urban centers. For this study, I have looked into two main arguments – one that says that social inclusion and exclusion are inherent in any social system and the other that views place as an outcome of social processes. In this sense, I ask whether the various levels of inclusion and exclusion that unaccompanied youth experience, has the potential to impact on the way places are shaped and valued. I approach this question by looking into the context of Sweden. On arrival, the youth are subject to the requirements of integration policies, and based on the outcome, they either go underground or attend education institutions such as the Folk High School. An inclusion-exclusion analysis is done on the circumstances that lead the youth to end up in each of these scenarios. The impact of these social processes on the youth is then overlapped on the qualities of places that have been identified to contribute to overall wellbeing. The findings of this place evaluation reveal that based on their inclusive-exclusive experiences, the youth tend to attach different values for each of the places.