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Nationell och kosmopolitisk identifikation hos internationellt verksamma svenska internet-entreprenörer

Abstract

The article is based on my postdoc project, financed by Åke Wiberg Foundation, that is studying national identification among a total of 23 Swedish internet and tech entrepreneurs based in Stockholm, Berlin, New York City and San Francisco. The purpose of this article is to explore how and when ”Swedishness” is considered as something of value for the informants, possible to use as an asset, for example, when it comes to attracting foreign investors, and how and when it is rather toned down in favor of a more cosmopolitan and meritocratic identification. In recent years, Sweden has had significant success in the tech/internet sector. Especially informants based in Europe highlighted the interest of Swedes on the tech scene as something important and used ”Swedishness” in their self-presentations. The informants who were based in the US, and especially in San Francisco, showed a tendency instead to emphasize an identification with a global elite. On the other hand, they also showed a greater tendency to highlight qualities of the Swedish society at large, which those who were still based in Europe did not do to the same extent. Furthermore, the article discusses how the possibility to chose the most useful identification or selfpresentation indicates a privilege that is not available for everyone.