For many students with migrant backgrounds and newly arrived students, mother tongue is not only a knowledge and a school grade issue, but also a reflection of their identity which is shaped by political structures. In this article, we analyze the role of mother tongue in Swedish policy documents and how the school administration and teachers see the mother tongue in two Swedish schools: How do school professionals view the importance of mother tongue? What measures are taken to encourage mother tongue of migrant students with migration background and newly arrived students? What are the implications of and obstacles to studying mother tongue from students’ point of view? We will look at levers of integration where school staff as well as policy documents encourage multicultural incorporation (Alexander, 2006), but also do identify obstacles underlining migrant students’ lack of faith in the role and importance of their mother tongue. Students do not directly believe in the promise of multicultural incorporation. In practice, they have little evidence that maintaining their cultural background represents a strong value in Sweden. Ambiguous attitude towards mother tongue can be seen as a symbolic response to Sweden as a country which took a turn regarding its migration policy. The integration of residents with a migrant background is constantly questioned in the media and became a central issue in political debates.

Alexander, J. C. (2006). The Civil Sphere. Oxford University Press, New York.