Accounts of unaccompanied young refugees, young persons with drug- and crime-related problems and members of staff at the institutions working with these young people. Analysis of the various symbols used in interpersonal interactions

In this study, we focus on the experiences and stories told by: 1) young people who have experienced war, fled to Sweden, and been taken into care and placed in special youth homes, and 2) young people who have experienced drug- and crime-related problems. In addition, we focus on the accounts of members of staff at the institutions working with these young people. Employees at special youth homes in Sweden who work daily with youths who have undergone war, drug, and crime-related problems are engaged in several different identifications alternately or at the same time, such as their work-related identity, gender identity, or ethnic identity. The current article underlines how these intersecting and corresponding identifications operate through a range of interactions in which the individual claims or is appointed identity categories in various ways. Therefore, the study shows when, how, and by whom identities are portrayed and how it occurs in relation to institutional care placement. When analysig these ethnographic exmaples, we integrate the social pedagical perspective with interactionism by focusing on the accounts, language, action, and gesticulations of the narrator. The purpose of this study is thus to expand on previous theory regarding ethnomethodlogy and interactions by integrating a social pedagogical perspective to the exmaples.