sorbarendiséget

Sorbrendiséget is a term used in the context of Swedish foreign policy, particularly in relation to the country's handling of the Sorb minority situated in the southeastern part of the country.

The term, often used by historians and scholars, is an anglicized name for the Swedish policy towards the Sorbs, an ethnic group closely related to the Slavic peoples, inhabiting the region of Saxony and parts of eastern Germany. The language and culture of the Sorb people have been subject to numerous influences from both the German and Slavic traditions throughout history.

Through the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, the Swedish-Danish policies vis-à-vis the Sorbs resulted in varying degrees of tolerance or discriminatory treatment. During World War II and the subsequent occupation by Nazi Germany, the Sorb people faced harsh persecution for their cultural and linguistic affinity to the predominantly Slavic populations that lay to the east and south.

Postwar efforts at normalizing the country's relationships with neighboring countries led to multilateral agreements aimed at re-centering Swedish foreign policy around regional collaboration and enhanced economic ties. This process is seen as a direct response to previously strained relationships with neighboring states in Europe.

Sorbrendiséget denotes a particular, if disharmonious, aspect of Sweden's reflections on its history and actions, concerning the sustained uncertainties and competing impulses in official foreign policy impacted by trends in majority attitudes towards national identity and others in the region.