Paper short abstract

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Sweden and Norway in 2025, I investigate how atmospheres of hostility impact the experiences of access to justice for Muslim women and how atmospheres of solidarity emerge between the social practitioners and those women, amid legal failures in gender justice

Paper long abstract

Considering the rise of nationalisms and anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe, this paper examines how large-scale atmospheres of hostility toward minority communities in Sweden and Norway shape access to justice for Muslim women. It analyses how such contexts influence the relationships and services provided by social workers, legal advisors, and activists, who support women from Muslim communities. In doing so, the paper aims to portray how atmospheres of solidarity emerge between the social practitioners and women of Muslim background, even as legal systems often fail to achieve gender justice for minority groups. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Uppsala, Lund, Malmö, and Oslo between spring and autumn 2025, and in-depth interviews with 25 social practitioners, this paper examines how these social actors navigate the cultural, normative and legal specificities of religious minority communities while adhering to intersectional ideals of gender equality. The analysis also explores the potentials realised in these atmospheres of solidarity, where ideas of agency and authority are located within the in-between spaces of minority communities and majority society.