ABSTRACT
Sweden-Finns are a young minority which emerged as a result of largescale immigration after the second world war. Most of the Finns moved to Sweden during the 1950s and 1960s. If the ‘second generation’ is also counted, the number may now be around 400,000. It is also important to remember that Finnish language and culture have been present in Sweden for 1000 years (see Lainio, this volume), mostly because Finland was a Swedish colony for 650 years (see Lindgren, this volume). Swedish policy towards ethnic minorities has been assimilationist, as has typically been the case in European nation states.
