Abstract
Sweden has been a target for Finnish migration throughout the ages, but recent years has shown an increase in youth migration from Finland to Sweden. The contemporary media discourses talk of “brain drain” – young, supposedly well educated, people, are “fleeing” Finland to find their future elsewhere.
This article is focusing on young adults from the Swedish speaking minority, who have left Finland to pursue higher education in Sweden. What are the motivations for young people to move to Sweden to study for a degree? How much does language matter in this often life changing choice? Are these young adults “deserting” Finland or planning on moving back after graduation?
The analysed material consists of fieldwork interviews with migrants (18–30 years old) who have moved to Sweden between 2010 and 2017.
The life stories of the young migrants show how different conceptions mobility are at work. Moving to another country might be a big step, a migration-process for some, but more of a natural life change for others. While some migrants have a high class education as a goal, others talk more about finding themselves, moving away from a small community, or being able to study in their mother tongue.
This article is focusing on young adults from the Swedish speaking minority, who have left Finland to pursue higher education in Sweden. What are the motivations for young people to move to Sweden to study for a degree? How much does language matter in this often life changing choice? Are these young adults “deserting” Finland or planning on moving back after graduation?
The analysed material consists of fieldwork interviews with migrants (18–30 years old) who have moved to Sweden between 2010 and 2017.
The life stories of the young migrants show how different conceptions mobility are at work. Moving to another country might be a big step, a migration-process for some, but more of a natural life change for others. While some migrants have a high class education as a goal, others talk more about finding themselves, moving away from a small community, or being able to study in their mother tongue.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Palgrave Handbook of Youth Mobility and Educational Migration |
| Editors | David Cairns |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Chapter | 15 |
| Pages | 155–168 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Edition | 2nd ed. 2022 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-030-99447-1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-030-99446-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
| MoE publication type | A3 Part of a book or another research book |