This study examines the Swedish emigration to Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century and how two newspapers with different political standpoints portray Brazil as receiver of Swedish emigrants and how their portrayal of the reasons behind the emigration mirrored their political standpoints. The newspapers examined in this study are Social-Demokraten (left wing newspaper) and Svenska Dagbladet (right wing newspaper). The methodological framework for this study is qualitative content analysis embedded with Kenneth Nybergs method of working with “picture”. The theoretical framework is constituted by Edward Saids theory of orientalism.

The result of the study shows that Brazil was portrayed as an exotic and dangerous country for Swedish emigrants, regardless of political standpoints. Ideas about race and constructions of non-European countries like Brazil as uncivilized are features that is recurrent in both newspapers. The political division between the newspapers shows when their reporting of the emigration and the reasons behind it is being examined. The two newspapers used the emigration to Brazil as cover for a bigger political debate about the state of the nation. The newspapers accused each other of being responsible for Swedish workers leaving the country with arguments following their respective political agenda.