ABSTRACT
There are few empirical studies on Swedish national identity and most of those have had methodological weaknesses (Goldmann 1998, p. 19). From an ethnological perspective, the question of identity has often been posed negatively as part of reactions to opinions about immigration and refugees (Mårald 1997). The Swedish ethnologist Åke Daun has attempted to analyze the cultural codes, personal characteristics and operational morale of the Swedes. He emphasizes Swedish pertinence, objectivity, striving for independence and tendency to avoid conflict as general Swedish behavioral characteristics. Other characteristics include integrity and a yearning for privacy. The typical Swede is also said to be silent and to have a puritanical working morale (Daun 1994).
