The Emigrants’ New Identity

The Emigrants

This flow traces how the travelers move from a publicly rejected group in Ljuder to newcomers admitted ashore but not yet settled.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Parish Calls Them Rash A Parish Calls Them Rash from "The Emigrants". A Parish Calls Them Rash Community judgment Neighbors and elders question the decision to abandon a farm for an unseen country.

A Parish Calls Them Rash from "The Emigrants". A Parish Calls Them Rash Community judgment Neighbors and elders question the decision to abandon a farm for an unseen country.

A Parish Calls Them Rash Community judgment Neighbors and elders question the decision to abandon a farm for an unseen country. The emigrants are treated as people who reject their own community. A group apart Even before departure, the travelers become socially distinct. Their shared plan binds them together while increasing their distance from those who remain.

Seen as Gypsies Seen as Gypsies from "The Emigrants". Seen as Gypsies A public spectacle The loaded wagons attract curious stares, and Jonas Petter of Hästebäck compares them to gypsy carts.

Seen as Gypsies from "The Emigrants". Seen as Gypsies A public spectacle The loaded wagons attract curious stares, and Jonas Petter of Hästebäck compares them to gypsy carts.

Seen as Gypsies A public spectacle The loaded wagons attract curious stares, and Jonas Petter of Hästebäck compares them to gypsy carts. The travelers recognize how their belongings make them look displaced. Defending respectability Robert Nilsson wants strangers to know they are honest emigrants. Their identity is already being negotiated through other people’s assumptions.

A Homeless Company A Homeless Company from "The Emigrants". A Homeless Company Between countries The emigrants have left their homes but have not reached new ones.

A Homeless Company from "The Emigrants". A Homeless Company Between countries The emigrants have left their homes but have not reached new ones.

A Homeless Company Between countries The emigrants have left their homes but have not reached new ones. Their ship is a temporary shelter surrounded by a sea that offers no place to settle. Bonds through dependence Shared rations, sickness, and confinement force the travelers into one another’s presence. Their company becomes a substitute for the homes they have lost.

Remembered at Sea Remembered at Sea from "The Emigrants". Remembered at Sea Home reappears in memory The travelers encounter a Swedish ship heading home and realize they still think of Sweden as home.

Remembered at Sea from "The Emigrants". Remembered at Sea Home reappears in memory The travelers encounter a Swedish ship heading home and realize they still think of Sweden as home.

Remembered at Sea Home reappears in memory The travelers encounter a Swedish ship heading home and realize they still think of Sweden as home. Familiarity persists even after they have rejected the conditions there. Shared estrangement No one aboard knows exactly where the future will take them. Their uncertain destination creates a temporary bond among people who otherwise have little in common.

Newcomers at the Pier Newcomers at the Pier from "The Emigrants". Newcomers at the Pier Admitted but poor The emigrants arrive in worn clothes with chests, baskets, and bundles.

Newcomers at the Pier from "The Emigrants". Newcomers at the Pier Admitted but poor The emigrants arrive in worn clothes with chests, baskets, and bundles.

Newcomers at the Pier Admitted but poor The emigrants arrive in worn clothes with chests, baskets, and bundles. They appear shabby beside the harbor, yet the new country admits them. Identity still unfinished They have changed their location but not yet secured farms, work, or acceptance. The collective story of departure gives way to the practical question of settlement.

After Karl Oskar announces his plan

On the road through Blekinge

After the English coast disappears

During the second month of the crossing

Midsummer Eve, 1850, during disembarkation