Disintegrating Whiteness in Southern Spain

Abstract

Southern Spain is one of the most attractive regions to live in and retire to for so-called lifestyle migrants in Europe. Most of them come to the Spanish ‘sunbelt’ from Great Britain and the Nordic countries and often spend the winters here. When strolling around the coastal town of Fuengirola in the province of Málaga, the presence of a Northern European migration is striking. Fuengirola is a major tourist resort with more than eight kilometres of white sandy beaches. A quarter of its 72,000 inhabitants come from other countries, mainly within Europe. Places like the London Pub, O’Haras Irish Pub, Nordic Video and Casa Nórdica, or organizations such as the Church of Sweden, Club Nórdico, Asociación Hispano Nórdica, AHN and The Swedish School, all give a glimpse into the cultural and institutionalized aspects of migrants’ national identities. During my fieldwork I observed that the Swedish/Scandinavian community in the area had its own radio station Kustradion 105 — the Coastal Radio at Costa del Sol — for ‘Coastal Swedes’. The community also organized a weekly dance orchestra night at Hotel Florida, frequented restaurants, cafés and shops serving or selling Swedish meat balls and gravlax (raw spiced salmon), and arranged special activities, such as a sewing circle (informally called ‘la junta’ from the Swedish word syjunta), quiz nights, a church choir, a group for genealogical research, and published several magazines, including En Sueco, Sydkusten (The South Coast) and the Swedish Magazine.