Swedes

This article deals with the Swedish people as an ethnic group. For information about residents or nationals of Sweden, see Demographics of Sweden. For information on other uses please see the disambiguation articles Swedish and Swede (disambiguation)

Swedes
(Svenskar)

Gustav Vasa • Carl Linnaeus • J. J. Berzelius • Alfred Nobel Selma Lagerlöf • Ann-Margret • Björn Ulvaeus • Markus Näslund
Regions with significant populations
Sweden:      9,200,000 (est.) Other significant population centers:
United States	4,500,000
Canada	500,000
Finland (Swedish-speaking Finns)	300,000
Brazil	250,000
Argentina	175,000
Australia	150,000
United Kingdom	Est 100,000
Norway	100,000
Germany	50,000
Spain	20,000 (2006)
Ireland	20,000 (2006)
Estonia	400,000
Languages
Swedish Related languages include Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, and to a lesser extent, all Germanic languages
Religion
First known Ásatrú, Traditionally Lutheran. Many Swedes have agnostic or atheist beliefs.
Related ethnic groups
Danes, Norwegians, Icelanders, Faroese and to a lesser extent, all Germanic ethnic groups

Swedish people or Swedes (Swedish: svenskar) are members of an ethnic group who regard themselves as Swedes or are identified as Swedish. This may be due to inclusion in Swedish culture, speaking the Swedish language, or being of Swedish descent.

The largest area inhabited by Swedes, as well as the earliest known original area inhabited by their linguistic ancestors, is on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the islands adjacent to it, situated west of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. The Swedish-speaking people living in near-coastal areas on the north-eastern and eastern side of the Baltic Sea also have a long history of continuous settlement, which in some of these areas possibly started about a millennium ago. These people include the Swedish-speaking Finns - who consist of the Swedish-speaking minority in mainland Finland speaking Finland Swedish and the almost exclusively Swedish-speaking population of the Åland Islands speaking in a manner closer to the adjacent dialects in Sweden than to adjacent dialects of Finland Swedish - and the small Swedish-speaking minority in Estonia. Smaller groups of historical descendants of 18th-19th century Swedish emigrants who still retain some forms of Swedish identity to this day can be found in the Americas and in Ukraine.

The ancient Germanic tribe of the Suiones, sometimes called Svear in academic works, were at the roots of Swedish statehood and contemporary with the Geats and the Daner in Scandinavia. Notably, in modern Scandinavian languages, with the exception of Icelandic, there is a distinction between svenskar and svear (as between danskar (Danes) and Daner), since the latter term does not include the Geats and the Gotlanders and other populations whose descendants acquired a Swedish ethnicity.

According to recent genetic analysis, both mtDNA and Y chromosome polymorphisms showed a noticeable genetic affinity between Swedes and central Europeans, especially Germans. (these conclusions are also valid for Norwegians) For the global genetic make-up of the Swedish people and other peoples, see also: [3] and [4]

Ethnic Swedes

In English texts, the concept of ethnic Swedes may or may not be used for the following:

• People of Swedish heritage, typically immigrants to the Americas (usually called 'Swedish Americans' sv svenskättlingar)
• Minorities outside of Sweden with Swedish as their mother tongue who however might not describe themselves as 'ethnically Swedish'
  • The inhabitants of the Swedish speaking Åland Islands, part of Finland due to international treaties
  • The approximately 265,000 Swedish speaking Finns in mainland Finland
  • The few Swedish speaking people living in northwestern mainland Estonia and on adjacent islands and on the island of Ruhnu (Runö) in the Gulf of Riga (Estonia-Swedes, in Swedish: Estlandssvenskar) and the descendents of former Estonian Swedes in Gammalsvenskby ('Old Swedish Village') Ukraine.
  • There are also Swedes located in St Petersburg Russia.

In Sweden the connotation of Swede when used without qualifications often means a person who is:

• a citizen of Sweden;
• born and living in Sweden; and
• whose parents are both Swedish.

These people are colloquially called 'tvättäkta svenskar' ('colourfast Swedes') as their true 'colour' doesn't fade in the wash. Not all Swedes agree with such usage. Some claim immigrants and their offspring are Swedes, based primarily on their proficiency in the Swedish language and embracing Swedish culture.

In Sweden who is and who is not a swede is a very touchy subject. A widespread rule is that if you're a Swedish citizen, you are Swedish. Not agreeing with this rule is often seen as very politically incorrect and also racist.

In a Swedish mindset, the concept of ethnic Swedes is used chiefly in the following contexts:

• To distinguish Swedes from Swedish citizens who are naturalized immigrants but not ethnic Swedish. (See: New Swedes)
• To distinguish, typically in school settings, pupils of immigrant heritage from those without

In addition, ethnic Swedes is sometimes used to include Swedish speakers not living in Sweden such as the following:

• The Swedish speaking minority living in mainland Finland and the exclusively Swedish speaking population of Åland, which is an autonomous part of Finland
• The Swedish speaking minority living in Estonia (Estonia-Swedes)
• The descendants of Swedes who immigrated to places like the US and Canada, some of whom still speak Swedish (Swedish Americans)
• The Swedish speaking minority living in Gammalsvenskby (Old Swedish Village) in Ukraine.

The majority of the 'Estonia-Swedes' who reside in Estonia and most 'Ukraine-Swedes' do not speak Swedish any more, but may yet be considered ethnic Swedes (cf ethnic German). In a nationalist context, the ethnic Swedes living outside Sweden are sometimes called 'East-Swedes' (in Swedish: östsvenskar), to distinguish them from the ethnic Swedes living in Sweden proper, called rikssvenskar or västsvenskar ('Western-Swedes'), reflecting irredentist sentiments.

Swedish speakers outside Sweden

The Swedish-speaking Finns form a minority group in Finland of about 265,000, comprising 5.10% of the population of mainland Finland, or 5.50 %[5] if the 26,000 inhabitants of Åland are included (there are also about 60,000 Swedish-speaking Finns currently resident in Sweden).

The presence of Swedish speaking permanent residents in what is now Estonia (Estonia-Swedes) was first documented in the 14th century, and possibly dates back to the Viking Age. There were an estimated 12,000 Swedes resident in Estonia in 1563 . Estonia was under Swedish rule 1558–1710, after which the territory was ceded to Russia in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad. In 1781, 1,300 Estonia-Swedes of the island of Hiiumaa (Dagö) were forced to move to Ukraine by Catherine II of Russia, where they formed Gammalsvenskby (Old Swedish Village). According to the 1934 census there were 7,641 Estonia-Swedes (Swedish speaking, 0.7% of the population in Estonia), making Swedes the third largest national minority in Estonia, after Russians and Germans. During World War II almost the entire community of Estonia-Swedes fled to Sweden. Today there are, at most, a few hundred Estonia-Swedes living in Estonia and a few hundred in Ukraine, with the estimates varying widely depending on who identifies, or can be identified, as a Swede.

National character

It is difficult to pinpoint the national character of the Swedes considering the differences between the people of Skåne and Lappland or city and countryside for instance.

Many Swedes have rather reserved personalities compared to other cultures, which has led to the stereotype of quiet, cold, unfriendly Swedes. However, in spite of the common shyness, Swedes are generally nice, friendly people, just typically less outgoing than many other cultures. As such, Swedes tend to be somewhat wary around unknown people, and it can be difficult for foreigners and immigrants to assimilate in Sweden. At the same time, Swedes are well known for their tolerance and appreciation of other cultures. Many people have noticed a dramatic difference between winter Swedes and summer Swedes, because people's moods tend to be affected by the cold, dark winters. One misconception is that Sweden and the Swedes are overly permissive regarding sex and nudism. This misconception may be due to Sweden's early legalization of pornography and early implementation of sex education in school. These days, Sweden is not very tolerant of the sex industry. Paying for a sex worker's services is illegal and pornography is seen as oppressive and degrading, particularly to women, by most leading politicians.

Many Swedes enjoy hiking as well as using nature for various forms of exercise and/or recreation, such as picking berries and mushrooms or hunting. Possibly as a result of Allemansrätten , the right of public access to the wilderness, allowing almost free access to nature even on private property. For Swedes, taking a walk in the woods is not unlike a visit to church.

As elsewhere in Scandinavia, Swedes often take pride in having an average social standing. If you are rich you often don't show it off in a manner that looks out of the ordinary and you often downplay it when talking about it. If you have a large house in the archipelago you may say that you have "A house a bit outside town." Lagom is a Swedish word that lacks a counterpart in most languages. It basically means "just the right amount, but not too much." This explains the Swedish desire to live a normal, pleasant life. Elitism is often frowned upon, and Swedes speak of Jantelagen and Swedish jealousy as norms which keep people in their place, even though these norms have become slightly more lax in recent years. Egalitarianism remains a strong ideal in Sweden. Swedes prefer a polite yet casual form of interaction, without strict rules dividing social groups. It is perfectly normal to greet your boss or teacher using first name or nickname.

Since for the larger part of the year the weather is wet in one way or another Swedes remove their shoes when visiting somebody. If it's a more formal occasion you bring indoor shoes with you in a bag and change.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was an international leader in what is now referred to as the sexual revolution, with gender equality particularly promoted during this time.

Physically, Swedes are often stereotyped as being microscopic, beautiful and blonde; with strikingly fair complexions; long, thick, blond hair; green or blue eyes; and a generally elegant disposition. As with many stereotypes, this one is somewhat inaccurate; just under 50% of Swedes are naturally blonde with another 25% having light brown hair (which is a relatively high rate of blonde and light brown hair compared to the United States or other Germanic speaking countries such as England), plenty are not lean but not overweight, and the Lapps in the north of Sweden have dark hair and eye colour (though many would not consider them to be "ethnic Swedish").

Alcohol

Main article: Alcoholic beverages in Sweden

Sweden is located in the vodka belt and drinking was a problem until the temperance movement gained influence. Swedes now rarely drink alcohol during the work week, but instead binge drink during the weekends, although drinking habits have become more 'continental' in recent decades. As such many Swedes tend to become much more outgoing on the weekends. To prevent excessive drinking, alcohol sales are handled by a government monopoly, Systembolaget, who impose a high sales tax. The high cost of alcohol, which is even higher in pubs and restaurants, has led to the tradition of grunda (building a foundation), förkröka ("pre-drinking") or förvärma ("pre-heat"), i.e. gathering at home and drinking before going out.

See also

• List of Swedes
• Swedish Canadian
• Swedish American
• New Swedes
• British Swedish
• List of ethnic groups

External links

• In Search of Swedish Nature
• A Typical Swede (humorous article, with some gross stereotypes and inaccuracies, but also some truths)
• The Swedes Revealed
• The Global Etiquette Guide: Sweden