The primary objective is a comparative anthropological study of the encounter between
Middle Eastern survivors of violence and the Scandinavian welfare states.
Focus is placed on how stories of violence are narrated and received in the actual encounter between a survivor of violence and a representative of the Nordic welfare state. Our premise is that the expectations and affective responses to testimonies of suffering and violent pasts determine access and provisions of welfare for survivors of violence now residing in the Nordic
countries. The secondary objective is to enhance our knowledge on similarities and differences across Scandinavia in terms of how potentially new citizens are included or excluded. Through comparative ethnographic fieldwork among Middle Eastern survivors of
violence and representatives of the Nordic welfare states respectively, empirically based knowledge of the expectations and emotions that circulate between the Nordic states and its subpopulations will be provided
