Rethinking Immunity: An Ethnography of Risk and Migration in Sweden

I outline the interplay between biological and socio-cultural dimensions of immunity and risk in the context of migration from Afghanistan to Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Documenting my interlocutors’ responses to everyday situations, I explore the challenges they face in a new society. Their references to immunity reveal ideas about bodily and biological functions, as well as sociocultural aspects of risk and immunity as fluid concepts. Understanding how different groups manage risk, practice care, and perceive immunity requires attention to the circumstances that surround individual and communal experiences of care practices. I reveal their perceptions, hopes, concerns, and strategies for immunization against the real risks they encounter.