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Between Securitization and Counter-Securitization: Church of Sweden Opposing the Turn of Swedish Government Migration Policy by Charlotte Fridolfsson; Ingemar Elander is a Social Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Between Securitization and Counter-Securitization: Church of Sweden Opposing the Turn of Swedish Government Migration Policy about?

Taking our point of departure in securitization theory the aim is to analyze how the Lutheran Church of Sweden responded when the Swedish Government in late autumn 2015 made a sudden halt to a previously generous posture towards refugees. Applying the concept of counter-securitization we demonstrate how the Archbishop, and other Church leaders, strongly contested this official policy shift, legitimating their standpoint by referring to a radical, cosmopolitan reading of the gospel. Employees and lay members were mobilized to support immigrants through protest, everyday service, consultation and lobbying. Articulating a view that securitization should not be reserved for cases of a perceived existential military threat is highly relevant for the debate about the role of religion and secularism. Securitization and countersecuritization appear as two complementary approaches, where the Church may stand up as a bulwark defending immigration rights in contradistinction to retrotopian and xenophobic interpretations of the gospel. We contribute to this field by illustrating how research should not be caught in a onedimensional reading of 'security' and 'securitization', but has to be inte

Who reads Between Securitization and Counter-Securitization: Church of Sweden Opposing the Turn of Swedish Government Migration Policy?

Author

Charlotte Fridolfsson; Ingemar Elander

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Published

2021

Language

EN

Field

Social Sciences