Minority Communities in Sweden and Swedish America

This guide is for anyone looking to conduct genealogy or research about the five official minority communities of Sweden or Swedish America (Sámi, Swedish Finns, Tornedalers, Roma and Jews).

The Swenson Center is located at Augustana College and is a national and international research center for the study of Swedish-American history and relations. 

Minority Communities in Sweden and Swedish America

Keywords/Search Terms

Here are some search terms to try in the library catalog or other search areas. Using the asterisk (*) is a wildcard option, that will return variations on a search term. For example, Fin* will bring up Finns, Finnish, Finland; Jud* will bring up Judaism, Judaica, Judisk, etc.

• Sami
• Sami Americans
• Fin*
• Jew
• Jewish
• Jud*

Possible Research Questions

Here are some potential research questions you can explore.

• How has Sweden changed its approaches to minority cultural politics across different eras?
• Why are these groups underrepresented in the narratives of immigration and cultural exchange between Sweden and the United States?
• How might the experience of immigration been different for members of Swedish minority groups in the United States?
• How are Sweden’s policies and programs for ethnic minorities different from those of the United States?