Neil Shipley - Sweden - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Adapted from Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past.

ISBN 978 1 78702 288 1

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library

First published in Great Britain

by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440

www.culturesmart.co.uk

Inquiries:

Design Bobby Birchall

Printed in Turkey

The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. All Culture Smart! guides are available as e-books, and many as audio books. For further information and latest titles visit www.culturesmart.co.uk

NEIL SHIPLEY is an intercultural trainer and lecturer from Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. He has a B.A. in Literature from the University of Essex, Colchester, and an M.A. in Intercultural Competence from Donau University in Austria. In 1994 he headed to Sweden, intending to live there for a year before moving on. Seduced by the beauty of the countryside, the coolness of the cities, and the values of the people, he stayed.

Today Neil is firmly rooted in Swedish society and is a leading expert on Swedish culture. He has lectured in more than fifty countries and has worked with many international organizations as well as the Swedish government, lecturing and providing seminars on Swedish culture and society. Since 2013 he has been writting a popular blog called Watching the Swedes, where he shares his perspectives on Swedish life. Throughout his years in Sweden Neil has witnessed many changes. What remains unaltered is his long-lasting attachment to this cool country in the North.

COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 affected millions of people around the world, causing unprecedented social and economic disruption. As the impact of this global crisis continues to unfold, in many countries social norms are being challenged, and enduring changes will be reflected in future editions of Culture Smart! titles.

The Culture Smart! guides begin where most other travel books end. They emphasize people, not places. Written for the inquiring traveler who wants more than research into hotels, sight-seeing, and transportation, they offer an insight into the human dimension of a country, based on the values and attitudes of its people.

Sweden is, in many senses, an unspoiled paradise of achingly beautiful archipelagos, forests, mountains, lakes, and coastlines. This surprisingly varied countryside is full of contrasts and contradictionsas is its population.

If you are visiting Sweden for more than a few days, you will get much more out of your trip if you have a good background in the beliefs that make up the foundation of the Swedish way of life. Culture Smart! Sweden will help you to go beyond the polite phase, so that you gain a greater understanding of what is important to the Swedes and why they act the way they do. It considers the influence of Swedens geography and history in shaping the national character. There is vital information on deep-rooted Swedish values and attitudes, and a comprehensive overview of doing business in Swedenessential for anyone who needs to understand the unique way that Swedish businesses operate.

As for socializing, you will get an insiders perspective on visiting a Swedish home, and on the qualities that Swedes most appreciate in a guest. With detailed chapters on the customs and traditions that form the cornerstones of Swedish life, and information on where and how to meet and communicate with Swedes, this book is an indispensable guide to the real Sweden.

Swedish society is based on the belief in equality, independence, self-expression, and respect. It is very rights-driven, with a strong commitment to maintaining a safe and secure home of the people. The Swedes are justifiably proud of many aspects of the egalitarian society they have created, which provides basic healthcare, education, and social welfare benefits for all.

Although historically strongly Lutheran, the Swedes today are a largely secular people who make life decisions from a non-religious, logical standpoint. This does not, however, mean that they are not spiritual. It is in the natural environment that many Swedes find spiritual fulfillmentin the forests, on the lakes, and in the mountains. For many Swedes, reverence for nature is a kind of religion.

Culture Smart! Sweden provides a cultural roadmap to use in navigating the new social and professional situations you will encounter as a visitor. It aims to help you to build good business relationships and make firm friends with the welcoming and fair-minded people who live and work here.

Have a great trip!