Work

Citizenship through a minority language: naturalization and the politics of “integration in Swedish” in Finland

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Language testing for citizenship typically takes place in dominant national languages. This article examines the minoritized Swedish language as a pathway to naturalization in constitutionally bilingual Finland, where applicants can demonstrate proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish. Drawing on interviews, media, and policy documents, it investigates how naturalization applicants in majority-Finnish areas navigate between Finnish and Swedish, and how linguistic integration is imagined in a context where the tested language does not align with the languages of surrounding society. Perceptions of Swedish as easier to learn than Finnish, and a faster route to naturalization, are widespread. Naturalization applicants’ language choices are shaped by the instrumental value of Swedish in meeting the increasingly stringent citizenship requirements, despite its limited presence in everyday life. At the same time, learning Swedish can lead to new forms of belonging and transnational opportunities. Naturalization through Swedish can function not only as a means of obtaining citizenship but may also foster interest in Swedish-speaking or bilingual Finland and expand applicants’ agency in navigating barriers to membership. Yet, the competing nation-building interests of minority and majority institutions raise questions about the ethics of language requirements in multilingual nation-states.

Source: Sociolinguistica - International Yearbook of European Sociolinguistics / Internationales Jahrbuch für europäische Soziolinguistik

DOI: 10.1515/soci-2026-0042

Author: Nina Carlsson

Institutions: Uppsala University, Stockholm School of Economics

Language: English

Topic: Multilingual Education and Policy

Subfield: Linguistics and Language

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,712