Negative stereotypes about immigrants and strangers exist in all societies and countries. For many, immigrants represent a threat and a challenge to the ingrained habits and traditions of the majority, which leads to friction. Using three neighboring small towns in Sweden as case studies, Stories about Strangers follows the local discourse, primarily through the daily newspaper of the communities, to assess and evaluate the views and/or prejudices about immigrants.

Examining the ways in which majority Western cultures govern, represent and exclude those that are considered to be ethically 'other', this book asks what is the impact of globalization, governance and Western immigration controls on the construction of the majority 'self' and the minority 'other'?

For a variety of political, climatic, ecological, security-related and other reasons, the Russian summer resort of Sochi by the Black Sea would seem a most unlikely candidate for the Olympic Winter Games. Despite this, the Games will be held there in February 2014, and the Russian leaders regard the Games as a highly prestigious project underlining Russia's return to a status of great power in the contemporary world. This book conducts a thorough inventory of the contexts, characteristics and challenges facing the Sochi Games. It deals with the problems from Russian, Georgian, Abkhazian and...