Swedes’InternationalizationandLocalization

張硯 許妍

The 1960s of Sweden saw a highlighted trend—being international，which ideologically had a profound impact on Swedes.everyday life.Nevertheless，the more heterogeneous and multi-cultural Sweden promptly became，the more eagerness Swedes show that uniqueness and localization were supposed to be called back，as in the case of the flag waving described in Remaking the National by Orvar Lofgren（1999，P68）.Today.s Swedes are undoubtedly international with the strong sense of identity and localization in the eye of the beholder.The paper points to the ways contemporary Swedes behave，which may well reveal the national culture，and the reasons why Sweden is seemingly ambivalent but well-developed.Besides，the effects on the natives and non-natives will be alluded here.

Seemingly incompatible symbols

Let us take an overview of todays Swedes.On one hand，Sweden opens up to the outside world，and internationalization does work.Consequently，Swedes willingly embrace the ideology of being international，which is embodied in their daily life.Take the highly developed industry as an example.We can easily find that some products of the worldwide renown brands such as H&M，Ikea are made in China，in Indonesia and other countries where cheap labour force abounds and meantime no one can deny the fact that there exits a tremendous potential consumption power in the thickly populated but burgeoning countries like China.Besides，a growing number of tourists and refugees flood into Sweden----the paradise in fairy tale，bringing their distinctive cultures and lifestyles，toward which Swedes are practically tolerant and because of which Sweden is more heterogeneous.

On the other hand，however，Swedes are “typically Swedish”（Orvar Lofgren，1999，P67）.A flaunting Swedish flag on a balcony does manifest the pride of being Swedish whether it only has the decorative function or is just part of the Swedish everyday culture.The renewal of multiple cultural celebrations in honor of traditions is，to some extent，showing Swedish identity and a symbol of national orientation beyond doubt（Ann-kristin Ekman，1999，P283-288）.For instance，a street market exhibition will be held downtown in Linkoping where foreigners will have the opportunity to get close to Swedish local life soon.

According to Burkes description，Geertz defines culture as “a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate，perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life”（2005，P36）.Based on Geertzs theory，we can safely draw the conclusion that the symbols in Sweden clearly show Swedes are experiencing the seemingly ambivalent “being international” and “being national” circumstances.

The reasons

Many of us may be bewildered by Swedes actuality and wondering why Swedish people live in the way mentioned above.As anthropologists have studied，the immigration of labourers，the inburst of refugees，and the visits of tourists all make for the multicultural Swedish lifestyles（Jeremy Boissevain，1994，P45）.Moreover，joining the EU further blurs the geographical and cultural boundaries（Ekman，1999，P281）.When the national distinctiveness becomes dim，Swedes awareness of their identity is reinforced and many people look back with nostalgia to the homogeneous way of life.

But the point I want to emphasize is that only when it belongs to the nation does it belong to the world.Firstly，with the ever-accelerated updating of science and technology，the world has become a global village where people of different nationalities seem to get closer to one another，and thus the Swedish way of life is no accident.Secondly，more national means more global.For instance，Chinese china and embroidery，as well as Japanese kabuki are all traditional and national and therefore，make the two countries better known to the whole world.Such cultural celebrations as Oxhalja Market，“Fire in the mine” in Sweden（Ann-Kristin Ekman，1999，P285&287）are not only a way of defending Swedish localizaiton but an approach to making Sweden more fascinating.

The only path of Swedish flourish

A range of reasons contribute to Swedes internationalization and localization.But compared to the reasons above，the remarkable achievements Swedish people have made are more significant and catch more attention.It is by means of defending their identity and opening to the world that Swedes have made a marvelous success.As is known to the world，Sweden incredibly switched from an agrarian country to an industrial power within one century.From the estimation of the world bank，Sweden ranks high in the list of countries by GDP per capita（see the figure below），which proves that Sweden is one of the economic powers in the world.In addition，by Gross National Happiness—the less materialistic measure，say，education，nutrition，and gender equality，people in Sweden feel much happier than many other people in the list of 95 countries（Arthur Max and Toby Sterling，2007，vol42.-no.13）.In short，the balance of internationalization and localization is the only path of Swedish flourish.

Ecnomic prosperity and cutural compatibility make Sweden.further open to the outside world and take greater participation in the global economy.Therefore，Swedish people take great pride in being Swedish，and they have enough confidence on all sides，with which they are tolerant towards the cultural diversity，willing to integrate the heterogeneity into their daily life.

On the other hand，much as non-natives can enjoy，we still have a strong feeling that nothing is ours.Though we never fail to be fascinated by Swedish lifestyles，the tranquil atmosphere，the picturesque scenery，the cross-culture integration and the economic boom，we can hardly be assimilated.No matter how much we can enjoy，the fact that we are outsiders can not be denied.

Conclusion

On balance，multifarious historical reasons as well as Swedish peoples own choice make for the prosperous and ideal Sweden，where Swedes keep their own unique local features persistently and embrace the whole world willingly； where the corresponding diverse cultures balance one another harmoniously； where non-natives can learn and benefit a great deal as well； and where accordingly the sustained and rapid development of economy set a perfect example to the globe.

References：

[1]Boissevain，Jeremy（1994）“Towards an Anthropology of European Communities”in Victoria A.Goddard et al，The Anthropology of Europe—Identities and Boundaries in Conflict，P.44-48，Oxford：Berg.

[2]Burke，Peter（2005）“What is cultural history.The Moment of Historical Anthropology”，P.36，Cambridge.

[3]Ekman，Ann-Kristin（1999）“The Revival of Cultural Celebrations in Regional Sweden.Aspects of Tradition and Transition”，European Society for Rural Sociology， vol.39，no.3.p280-287.

[4]Lofgren，Orvar（1999）.“Remaking the National---The Swedish Experience 1950-2000； Anthopology at Home”，The Stockholm Journal of East Asian Studies，vol.10，p.57-72.

[5]Arthur Max & Toby Sterling（2007）“Gross National Happiness： How happy are we.”The Sunday Times Online，vo.42-no.13.

作者簡介：

張硯，女，（1987—），四川瀘州人，現任職于四川大學錦城學院，歐洲語言文化專業，碩士，講師，研究方向：語言學、文學。

許妍，女，（1981—），貴州貴陽人，現任職于四川大學錦城學院，現當代文學，碩士，講師，研究方向：文學。