Swedish Crime Fiction and Study Abroad: Literature, Politics and the Foreigner

This paper highlights how to use Swedish crime fiction in the classroom to teach politics, especially issues related to immigration and the role of being “foreign”. Furthermore, the paper explores how Swedish crime fiction can be incorporated into a study abroad course, examining one such study abroad – known as W’International – on our campus. I argue that Swedish crime fiction novels make for a perfect venue to explore an array of political problems and challenges, and a palatable way for students unfamiliar with Sweden or crime fiction to relate to real-world issues.