This report on skiing and immigrants came about because there is no empirical research that shows how common it is for this particular group to go skiing. Everything points to it being uncommon, especially when it comes to immigrants from outside of Scandinavian countries.

Since there are no studies with which to draw comparisons, from the outset this research involved gathering relevant knowledge from various different sources: previously collected data on sporting and exercise habits, interviews conducted with immigrants, as well as reviews of newspaper articles and relevant theoretical literature. The knowledge gained provided the basis for the creation of a fruitful theoretical and conceptual framework that in turn provided the starting point for an interpretative analysis of the relationship between these new members of Swedish society and skiing.

The theoretical foundation is primarily made up of a personality model on three levels: the subconscious, the pre-conscious, and the conscious. The social context being a consumption society in which the so-called experience industry is becoming an ever more important ingredient.

Out of this construction of individuals and social divisions the analysis was conducted. Beginning with a personality level analysis of the basic needs that skiing satisfies as well as the conscious choices required for a lifestyle centered around skiing. It is primarily at this ’way of life’ level that immigrant’s skiing habits are analyzed. What are the economic, social and cultural barriers that must be overcome in order to devote oneself to skiing, apart from access to snow? It ought to be pointed out that immigrants from the former Yugoslavia, Turkey and Iran were the main focus.

The following divisions are seen as the main barriers

- Class divisions

- Divisions of sex

- Differences between Swedish individualism and newcomer collectivism

- Different views of nature

Class divisions persist in the poorer economic position of immigrant groups, which means they are less likely to be able to afford to go skiing, even if they would like to. In the division of sexes we see an even higher level of inequality, from the outside perspective of the Swedish value system, which means women in immigrant groups have still fewer opportunities to go skiing, for example in terms of experiences and economics, even if they would like to. Differences between individualism and collectivism, with the Swedes more individualistic way of living and the immigrants more collective, should lead to somewhat different skiing habits amongst immigrants than amongst the established Swedes. The final difference concerns views of nature, where contrasting romantic and scientific views of nature amongst Swedes lead to a significant interest in nature, and which distinguishes them from the immigrant groups milder interest in nature. Amongst the immigrant groups that were focused on, nature was either viewed as a production landscape by those who come from the countryside, or as a scenic backdrop by those from the large cities.

Obviously, the major differences between Swedes and the immigrant groups I have been interested in apply particularly to first generation immigrants, whilst following generations move increasingly towards Swedish cultural values.

These means, in my more speculative analysis of the future, that when it comes to skiing the differences between Swedes and immigrants are likely to reduce, especially if schools, sports clubs and private companies can help these groups come into contact with skiing.

Utgångspunkten för denna rapport om nysvenskar och skidåkning är att det inte finns någon empirisk undersökning som visar hur vanligt det är att dessa åker skidor. Allt pekar dock på att detta inte är vanligt, framförallt gäller det bland invandrare från utomnordiska länder.

Det är framförallt på den i rapporten benämnda livsformsnivån som nysvenskarnas skidåkande analyseras. Vad är för ekonomiska, sociala och kulturella barriärer som de måste komma över för att ägna sig åt skidåkning, förutom tillgång till snö? Det bör påpekas att det är främst invandrare från forna Jugoslavien, Turkiet och Iran som står i fokus.

Det som främst ses som barriärer är följande skillnader:

- klasskillnader,

- könsskillnader,

- skillnader mellan svensk individualism och nysvensk kollektivism,

- skillnader i natursyn.

Klasskillnaderna består i dessa invandrargruppers lägre ekonomiska standard, vilket innebär mindre möjligheter till ha råd att åka skidor, även om de skulle vilja. Med könsskillnader avses en högre grad av ojämlikhet sett utifrån den svenska värderingsgrunden, vilket innebär mindre möjligheter, exempelvis erfarenhetsmässiga och ekonomiska, för dessa invandrargruppers kvinnor att åka skidor, även om de skulle vilja. Med skillnaden mellan individualism och kollektivism avses svenskarna mera individualistiska levnadssätt och invandrarnas mera kollektivistiska, vilken skulle leda till ett något annorlunda skidliv än det etablerade svenska. Den sista skillnaden avser synen på naturen, där svenskarnas motsättningsfyllda romantiska och vetenskapliga förhållningssätt som lett till stort naturintresse skiljer sig från dessa invandrargruppers mindre naturintresse. I de invandrargrupper som stått i fokus har naturen antingen varit ett produktionslandskap för dem som kommer från landsbygden eller en kuliss för dem som kommer från storstäder.

Det är uppenbart att de stora skillnaderna mellan svenskar och de invandrargrupper jag intresserat mig för rör den första generationens invandrare, medan efterföljande generationer närmar sig alltmer svenska kulturella värderingar.