Swedish Immigration to Portugal: A Bordering Perspective

Although direct migration flows from Sweden to Portugal have been marginal, the actual number of citizens from Sweden living in Portugal continues to increase every year. Many Swedes appear to move to Portugal via a third country. By far the largest number of Swedish citizens permanently residing in Portugal settles on the Algarve or in the Lisbon area, generally close to their compatriots. Those settling in other parts of Portugal do so among the Portuguese and at a distance from their compatriots. This paper discusses Swedes’ migration behavior in Portugal. We seek to use bordering theories to explain the migration behavior of Swedes in moving to Portugal. Overcoming borders mainly concerns the overcoming of socially constructed imaginaries of belonging to a certain place. The mental influence of the state border cannot be understated in theories of cross-border economic interaction such as migration.