The Finnish and Swedish migration dynamics and transnational social spaces

This paper describes the dynamics of the migration flows between Finland and Sweden. These can be understood by the long-term development of a transnational social space. The paper argues that contemporary migration patterns are influenced by the post-war labour migration from Finland to Sweden. This created a Finnish diaspora, which today is involved in migration back and forth between the two countries, creating a regional transnational social space. The two countries provide a good case for studying the development of migration dynamics over time, since there has been a full freedom of movement for more than 50 years and migration is well documented in research and detailed official statistics in both countries. The paper is based on an analysis of these sources as well as interviews among Swedish citizens living in the Helsinki region of Finland. Although Finnish citizens have dominated the migration flows in both directions, the number of Swedish citizens involved in the transnational social space has steadily increased. This development can be described as a spill-over effect of the transnational social space and is related to a large rate of intermarriages between Swedish and Finnish citizens.