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It is fantastic to be me here and now in Torrevieja

von Knorring, Olof LU (2024) SANM15 20241
Social Anthropology
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what makes Swedish retirees migrate to Costa del Sol and how it affects their perception of their Existential Health as expressed in Meaning-in-life, Coherence and Trust, building on a two-week fieldwork, with observations, free conversations, and a short questionnaire. The overall research question is how the migration has influenced retiree’s perception of their Existential Health. Main research questions are the following (A) What is it like to be you here and now as a Swedish retiree? (B) What is better with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden? (C) What is worse with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden?
As a theoretical basis, I will draw upon material about the concepts of... (More)
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what makes Swedish retirees migrate to Costa del Sol and how it affects their perception of their Existential Health as expressed in Meaning-in-life, Coherence and Trust, building on a two-week fieldwork, with observations, free conversations, and a short questionnaire. The overall research question is how the migration has influenced retiree’s perception of their Existential Health. Main research questions are the following (A) What is it like to be you here and now as a Swedish retiree? (B) What is better with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden? (C) What is worse with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden?
As a theoretical basis, I will draw upon material about the concepts of Existence, Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust. For Existentialism I use the thinking of the German philosopher Heidegger. About Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust, I use articles and publications within the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, Medical Sociology and Existential Anthropology.
What are the benefits, and how did they get to know ABOUT them, that makes retirees take the step to leave Sweden, permanently or for a couple of months per year. Do they see any disadvantages by migrating.
I also investigate what context the retirees live in, what they include and exclude from their daily life. Do they try to integrate in the Spanish society or limit their context to Swedish diaspora and Swedish groups and places, like the Swedish Church.
During my fieldwork, I got a strong feeling that the migrants were living a life here-and-now and intentionally did not integrate in the Spanish society. They instead kept to contacts and social life in the Swedish diaspora. One aspect of this is that it is not the migration in itself that is important for the migrators well-being, it is how they themselves grasps, interprets and reconstructs their existence.
The results show that the migration does positively affect Existential Health in the sense of Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust. But to a lesser degree than I expected. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka vad som får svenska pensionärer att migrera till Costa del Sol och hur det påverkar deras uppfattning om deras existentiella hälsa som uttryckt i mening-i-livet, sammanhang och tillit. Uppsatsen bygger på ett två veckor långt fältarbete, med observationer, samtal och ett kort frågeformulär. Den övergripande forskningsfrågan är hur migrationen har påverkat pensionärernas uppfattning om sin existentiella hälsa. Huvudsakliga forskningsfrågor är följande (A) Hur är det att vara du här och nu som svensk pensionär? (B) Vad är bättre med ditt liv i Spanien jämfört med Sverige? (C) Vad är sämre med ditt liv i Spanien jämfört med Sverige?
Som en teoretisk grund har jag material om begreppen... (More)
Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka vad som får svenska pensionärer att migrera till Costa del Sol och hur det påverkar deras uppfattning om deras existentiella hälsa som uttryckt i mening-i-livet, sammanhang och tillit. Uppsatsen bygger på ett två veckor långt fältarbete, med observationer, samtal och ett kort frågeformulär. Den övergripande forskningsfrågan är hur migrationen har påverkat pensionärernas uppfattning om sin existentiella hälsa. Huvudsakliga forskningsfrågor är följande (A) Hur är det att vara du här och nu som svensk pensionär? (B) Vad är bättre med ditt liv i Spanien jämfört med Sverige? (C) Vad är sämre med ditt liv i Spanien jämfört med Sverige?
Som en teoretisk grund har jag material om begreppen existens, mening i livet, sammanhang och tillit. För Existentialism använder jag den tyske filosofen Heideggers tänkande. Om mening i livet, sammanhang och tillit använder jag artiklar och publikationer inom områdena psykologi, filosofi, medicinsk sociologi och existentiell antropologi.
Vilka är fördelarna, och hur fick de veta vilka det var, som gör att pensionärer tar steget att lämna Sverige, permanent eller ett par månader per år. Ser de några nackdelar med migrationen.
Jag undersöker också vilket kontext pensionärerna lever i samt vad de inkluderar och utesluter från sin vardag. Försöker de att integreras i det spanska samhället eller begränsa sin kontext till svensk diaspora och svenska grupper och platser, som Svenska kyrkan?
Under mitt fältarbete fick jag en stark känsla av att migranterna levde ett liv här-och-nu och avsiktligt inte integrerade sig i det spanska samhället. De höll sig i stället till kontakter och socialt liv i den svenska diasporan. En aspekt av detta är att det inte är migrationen i sig som är viktig för migranternas välbefinnande, det är hur de själva uppfattar, tolkar och rekonstruerar sin tillvaro.
Resultaten visar att migrationen påverkar existentiell hälsa positivt i betydelsen mening-i-livet, sammanhang och tillit. Men i mindre grad än jag förväntat mig. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
von Knorring, Olof LU
supervisor
organization
course
SANM15 20241
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Social Anthropology, Existential Health, Heidegger, Meaning in life, Sense of Coherence, Trust/Confidence, Swedish retiree migration
language
English
id
9161560
date added to LUP
2024-06-11 16:13:43
date last changed
2024-06-11 16:13:43
@misc{9161560,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what makes Swedish retirees migrate to Costa del Sol and how it affects their perception of their Existential Health as expressed in Meaning-in-life, Coherence and Trust, building on a two-week fieldwork, with observations, free conversations, and a short questionnaire. The overall research question is how the migration has influenced retiree’s perception of their Existential Health. Main research questions are the following (A) What is it like to be you here and now as a Swedish retiree? (B) What is better with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden? (C) What is worse with your life in Spain as compared to Sweden?
As a theoretical basis, I will draw upon material about the concepts of Existence, Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust. For Existentialism I use the thinking of the German philosopher Heidegger. About Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust, I use articles and publications within the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, Medical Sociology and Existential Anthropology.
What are the benefits, and how did they get to know ABOUT them, that makes retirees take the step to leave Sweden, permanently or for a couple of months per year. Do they see any disadvantages by migrating.
I also investigate what context the retirees live in, what they include and exclude from their daily life. Do they try to integrate in the Spanish society or limit their context to Swedish diaspora and Swedish groups and places, like the Swedish Church. 
During my fieldwork, I got a strong feeling that the migrants were living a life here-and-now and intentionally did not integrate in the Spanish society. They instead kept to contacts and social life in the Swedish diaspora. One aspect of this is that it is not the migration in itself that is important for the migrators well-being, it is how they themselves grasps, interprets and reconstructs their existence.
The results show that the migration does positively affect Existential Health in the sense of Meaning in Life, Coherence and Trust. But to a lesser degree than I expected.}},
  author       = {{von Knorring, Olof}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{It is fantastic to be me here and now in Torrevieja}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}