Swedish Sociology Research Articles

A Forgotten Figure: Hans L. Zetterberg at Columbia and the Transfer of Knowledge Between the United States and Sweden

The main purpose of this paper is to provide a biographical sketch of the late Hans L. Zetterberg and a historical background to a translation of an essay based on a lecture given by Zetterberg in Stockholm in 1995. In it, he recounts his time at the Department of Sociology at Columbia University in the years 1953–1964. This essay is full of insights into an inspiring and formative period for Zetterberg in the United States, particularly in the stimulating milieu that was Columbia, at this time the center of American sociology led by Robert K. Merton and Paul Lazarsfeld. In the introduction to this translated essay, I give a brief overview of the establishment of sociology as a discipline in Sweden, and the transfer of knowledge between the United States and Sweden (and Europe, more broadly), embodied in Hans Zetterberg. In the post-WWII years, American sociology, which had a strong positivistic imprint, played an important role in shaping the beginnings of Swedish sociology. However, the transfer of knowledge went both ways, with Zetterberg, a semi-central and often neglected figure, being both a significant contributor to sociology at Columbia in its period of greatest prominence, and in his native Sweden.

Social lens or inherently social phenomenon? The study of food in Swedish sociology

Sociology’s tendency to branch into applied scientific disciplines is regularly debated. This debate focuses either on the organisation of sociology in academic institutions or on how the content of sociologically informed interdisciplinary research diverges from disciplinary sociology. This article bridges these debates in a study of the sociology of food in Sweden. The aim is to analyse how Swedish food sociology reflects the tension between disciplinary sociology and interdisciplinary research. The data comprise the doctoral dissertations and post-PhD career paths of Swedish sociologists whose dissertations are about food. The article finds that these dissertations treat food either as an inherently social phenomenon or as a social lens (i.e. a social phenomenon viewed as instrumental for analysing something else). Second, it is found that sociologists whose dissertations treated food as an inherently social phenomenon were more likely to pursue careers in food sociology but also to hold affiliations outside of sociology departments. The article concludes that the academic locus of Swedish food sociology is organised outside sociology departments but that its approaches are not necessarily any less sociological. Thus, the analysis questions the basis for arguments that interdisciplinary research represents a threat to the critical and analytical core of sociology.

The use of ‘cultural capital’ in sociology of education in Sweden

ABSTRACT We seek to consider the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘cultural capital’ within Swedish sociology of education focusing on the adoption of the term and asking how the ‘cultural capital’ is related to the specific context in Sweden. Here we consider the historical context and disciplinary route through which the concept travelled. The Swedish educational system promoted the ideal of meritocracy: everyone had an equal chance to access education, which in turn should facilitate social mobility. Even if the economic barriers to accessing education had been removed and higher education was available, social equality had not been achieved. The concept of cultural capital allowed for precise analyses of social groups’ use of the education system. The studies were able to show that the meritocratic ideal also concealed an inequality, where the school’s embrace of culture was something different from, and more than, what the teaching was supposed to convey.

Struggles over Legitimate Science

In several countries, national governments have implemented science policy reforms to elevate research excellence and to promote managerialist principles with an aim to gain success in the global knowledge-based economy. This qualitative study explores discursive responses to the current science policy reforms in Finnish and Swedish sociology. Drawing on a Bourdieusian perspective and a two-country research context, the research scrutinises the dynamics between the field of sociology and science policy paying particular attention to how the science policy ideals on excellence appear in the internal discursive struggles surrounding legitimate science among professors of sociology, who are conceived as a scientific elite. The results show that the excellence ideals are met in various, conflicting ways in sociology. Furthermore, there are national differences as Finnish sociology expresses more compliance towards science policy reforms than its Swedish counterpart, which seems more able to distance itself from these ideals and cherish traditional academic values. These findings evince that although science policy trends are becoming increasingly global, national university traditions and political cultures entail a slightly different national shape to seemingly similar reforms, which again, shapes the way the science policy incentives are made sense of at the grassroots level of academia, even within this particular discipline.

What counts as ‘good sociology’? Conflicting discourses on legitimate sociology in Finland and Sweden

This qualitative study explores how sociology is legitimated among established Finnish and Swedish sociology professors, who are conceived as a scientific elite. Drawing on a Bourdieusian framework, the analysis traces the discourses that define legitimate sociology in these two national contexts, and the relations between those discourses. While the scientific elite of Finnish and Swedish sociology share four discourses – the Excellence, Humboldtian, Emancipatory and Policy discourses – the relative value of each differs between the different national contexts. The Excellence discourse dominates in the Finnish data, while the Humboldtian discourse is dominant in the Swedish data. The emphases on the other two discourses also vary: in Finnish interviews, the Policy discourse holds a strong position, while the Emancipatory discourse is articulated only with nostalgia; in Swedish interviews, the Emancipatory discourse is strong and the Policy discourse is weak. The results show that different national contexts produce variations in sociology’s internal dynamics.

Gustaf Steffen as a sociologist and politician

The authors conduct analysis of the scientific and publicist legacy of the Swedish sociologist Gustaf Steffen in the framework of the Swedish and European history at the turn of XIX-XX centuries based on the scientific and political works of G. Steffen, his contemporaries’ responses to these works, mass media reports and a number of official acts of the Riksdag while Steffen was a member of it. In different periods of his life, Steffen’s methodology combined elements of Marxism, Nietzsche’s “elitist ideas”, both M. Weber’s and G. Simmel’s German school tradition, and “intuitive philosophy” of H. Bergson. In general, Steffen’s sociology can be considered a theoretical macro-analysis of the society’s historical development. Although Steffen was the first professor of sociology in the Swedish history (1902), he did not manage to create a scientific school, and after his death in 1929, the development of Swedish sociology was interrupted for almost twenty years. Only after the Second World War T. Segerstedt (Jr) established a school following the American scientific tradition of pragmatic analysis based on quantitative methods. The main reason for the scientific isolation of Steffen was his pro-German position in the First World War: as an ‘activist’ he aimed at drawing Sweden into the war on the German side, but failed and finished his political career in the early 1920s. There are some features the Swedish sociological tradition inherited from Steffen’s theory - “Bergsonism” in the form of analysis of social circumstances of individual life, principal “historicism”, and interdisciplinarity. Thus, Steffen is a true pioneer of the Swedish sociology whose ideas are still relevant.

Mellan etnologi och modern sociologi

Between ethnology and sociology: K. Rob. V. Wikman as a mediator in Finland and Sweden K. Rob. V. Wikman, professor in sociology at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland, played a central role both within Finnish and Swedish sociology in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a student of Westermarck and thus his own research represented an ethnosociological tradition, which at that time was challenged by modern, American-influenced sociological ideas. The aim of this article is to discuss the adaptation of “modern sociology” and the drawing of boundaries in Nordic sociology after the Second World War by focusing on Wikman’s work in Finnish as well as Swedish sociology, especially the assessor assignments he was given, and by giving emphasis to some of those that served as border poles or border markers in this process. The comparative starting point gives us reason to discuss some nationally characterized similarities and differences that can be observed in the establishment process of modern sociology in Finland and Sweden.

Textbooks, Syllabuses and Disciplinary Formation in Sweden

In the history of an academic discipline, it takes a while before a textbook production appears. In Sweden, a body of sociological textbooks began to develop in the 1950s. Sociology had become an independent university discipline in 1947 with a chair, given to Torgny T. Segerstedt, and a department at Uppsala University, followed gradually by the universities in Lund, Stockholm, Gothenburg and, somewhat later, Umeå. The participating authors and the areas covered in the first textbook can be read as an image of the state of Swedish sociology by that time. But textbooks can also serve a purpose in the disciplinary formation process itself. This article discusses the role and use of textbooks, course literature and syllabuses in the defining and boundary-work of the new Swedish university discipline of sociology.

The theory of gerotranscendence as applied to gerontological nursing – Part I

Introduction. This article outlines the theory of gerotranscendence - a psychosocial theory of ageing developed by Lars Tornstam, a Swedish Sociology professor. Description of the theory. Through his theory of gerotranscendence, Tornstam has introduced a new understanding of ageing, stating that human development is a life-long process that continues into old age and that, when optimized, ends in a new perspective. The theory of gerotranscendence focuses on two phenomena: the old person and the ageing process itself. The theory describes both the experience of growing old and the characteristics of a normal and positive old age. Foundation and empirical base of the theory. The theory is based on both the ideas and theories of others as well as on empirical studies. Relevance of the theory and its application in nursing. The theory of gerotranscendence could provide new key concepts for understanding the developmental process of ageing and the transition into old age. This theory facilitates the possibility of structuring care for older people in addition to guiding it. Because the theory describes development and the meaning of development in older age, it is possible to discuss how care of older people could be structured as well as how staff caring for older people could promote the process of ageing.

The historiography of Swedish sociology and the bounding of disciplinary identity

Bounding a scientific discipline is a way of regulating its cognitive direction as well as its relations to neighboring disciplines and extra-academic authorities. In this process of identity making, disciplinary history often is a crucial element. In this article, focusing on the historiography of Swedish sociology and the reception of Gustaf Steffen, Sweden's first professional sociologist, it is argued that Steffen's marginalized role in the traditional accounts should be understood not only with reference to his supposed theoretical shortcomings, but also in the historical context of the early postwar reestablishment of sociology as an academic discipline and its prevalent need for a new disciplinary identity, strategically adjusted to the contemporary institutional and political settings.

Johan Asplund: Ideas and Position

Johan Asplund holds an exceptional position in Swedish sociology. Although widely read, his books do not fit the normal scientific pattern, which makes him into something of a riddle to many sociologists. In this essay, I consider Asplund's work as a whole, sketch the progression of central ideas and portray his way of working. I also attempt to characterize Johan Asplund's position in Swedish sociology, and to delineate some of its consequences for the reception of his work.

Sociologisk Forskning behövs!

Rejoinder: The need for Sociologisk ForskningIn this rejoinder, it is argued that there is still a need for a disciplinary journal for Swedish sociology. The authors agree upon the need to revitalise Sociologisk Forskning, but are critical to the proposal to transform it into a more popular scientific journal, with an aim to become a part of the general public debate. The internationalisation and specialisation of the Swedish sociological community have implied that sociological research, to a large degree, is carried out within subdisciplinary or interdiscipinary fields. Networks, journals, conferences have developed within these fields, which has led to the Swedish sociological association and Sociologisk Forskning loosing parts of their relevance. The authors suggest that the creation of a stationary editorial board, with professional competence and better economic opportunities, will raise the quality and intra-disciplinary relevance of the journal.

Regler, förnuft, tinglighet och känsla som föremål för sociologisk analys - ett 50-årsperspektiv

Academic sociology in Sweden, that is the kind of sociology taught at university departments under the tutelage of duely appointed professors of sociology, has celebrated its 50 year jubilee in the fall of 1997. The first duely appointed professor of sociology in Sweden was Torgny T:son Segerstedt. In this article his successor at the University of Uppsala, Ulf Himmelstrand, reflects on the place of a number of focal concepts and domains in sociological development in Uppsala and in his own career as a sociologist over the last 50 years. The focal concepts and domains dealt with in this article are Normativity, Rationality, Materiality and Emotionality. The main emphasis in the first stage of Swedish sociology was on Normativity; on processes of socialization, internalization of social norms, the regulation of social roles in social institutions, the formation of attitudes etc. The interplay of Normativity and Materiality in the earlier and later stages of industrialization was also dealt with in comparative studies of industrial communities. The author recounts his own attempts to deal with relationships between Normativity, Emotionality and Rationality in measuring the independent emotive meaning of ideological statements in political and child-rearing contexts - for instance in so-called symbolic politics. The Marxist resurgence is discussed and some Marxian queries, concepts and methods surviving later onslaughts on Marxism are identified. Their place and limits of rational choice theory are pointed out briefly. Finally it is suggested that the interplay of Normativity, Rationality and Emotionality at the interfaces of Materiality and Human Existentiality constitute processes involved in all the micro and macro-settings occupying the interest of sociologists: relations between men and women, family settings, the development of language, action and social roles, the development of productive forces, social, political, economic, religious and other organisations, social and mental history and the formation of ethical concerns in all these contexts.

Staten: sociologiska perspektiv

The State: sociological perspectivesThis article reviews and discusses new sociological works on the Swedish state. The state (with the exception of the welfare state) was nearly absent in Swedish sociology until the beginning of the 1980's. Since that time several works, produced mainly by researchers of the third generation in Swedish sociology, have been published. These works are products of three distinct developments: the international debate about the role of the capitalist state, the critique of the quantitative approaches in Swedish sociology and the insights concerning the limits of the modern state. The new studies are characterized by theoretical eclecticism and methodological pluralism. This article is mainly focused on the theoretical and methodological traditions and issues and ends with suggestions on how new research questions could be formulated.

From Welfare State to Cultural Turn: Swedish Sociology

an instructive, if hardly surprising, clash of paradigms; more surprising, perhaps, is that the natural scientists should have taken such an interest in sociological work-an interest for which we are surely grateful. Feminism remains associated with qualitative method, which may have something to do with the prominence of qualitative areas in work on methods, even though women have not done most of that; quantitative sociology is regarded as a specialty rather than taken for granted. Perhaps no one book can be singled out, but Paul Atkinson and Martyn Hammersley have, jointly and separately (e.g., Hammersley and Atkinson 1995; Hammersley 1992), made a major contribution to this field, ensuring that the term ethnography is now more frequently used than participant observation. Many of those attracted to such work have an ideological commitment to that style and do not see it as simply one tool in the toolkit. However, a certain cynicism about the relationship to general stances, theoretical or methodological, may be justified for British sociology (as it is for sociology in other countries). Much solid empirical work continues, even if that is not widely regarded as where the action is. (A new British Sociological Association study group on food has been very successful, perhaps reflecting the growing national preoccupation with recipes and with eating out as a leisure activity.) Those who make and discuss the general statements are often not the same people who do the work that would put them into practice in particular cases and, indeed, the fragmentation we refer to ensures that those working in a substantive field may not even be aware of the controversies in another, or in general theory or method. The current state of British sociology cannot be summarized by referring to a few books on whose importance there exists a consensus. With regret, therefore, we confess that we have not written a piece that altogether fulfills the editor's brief and excuse our failure on the grounds that no one could have done so.

Den svenska sociologins dolda historia - fallet Gustaf Steffen

The Hidden History of Swedish Sociology - The Case of Gustaf SteffenAccording to the official history of Swedish sociology, it started in 1947 when Torgny Segerstedt was appointed professor in sociology at the University of Uppsala. This article treats the largely hidden history of Gustav Steffen (1864 - 1929), who was professor in sociology and economics in Gothenburg 1903-1929. Steffen was oriented towards Europe and lived many years in Germany, England and Italy. He worked as a correspondent for Swedish newspapers and he made several empirical studies of relevance for social policy. Steffen was also a social democrat and member of parliament. The sociology of Gustav Steffen was influenced by the philosopher Henri Bergson, especially his philosophy of intuition. According to Steffen, the most important task is to promote a life in close contact with both nature and society and combined with studies in philosophy and science. Today, when there is a renewed interest in the relation between professional knowledge and intuition, and in ecology and intuition, students in sociology should know more about this pioneer of Swedish sociology. Gustav Steffen was hidden partly for political reasons and partly because his sociology did not fit the scientistic ideal of the first generation of Swedish sociology. Today, times may be ripe for an appreciation of Gustav Steffen as a sociologist.

Body Culture as Paradigm The Danish Sociology of Sport

Danish sports research has historical roots of its own. More particularly; it involves: a preponderance of the natural science approach based on the importance of Swedish gymnastics, the plurality of sport organisations in Denmark, the "nonsynchronicities" of industrial culture and a weighty "popular", democratic tradition of sports. This led in the seventies and eighties, when the sociology of sports began to develop in Denmark, to the crystallization of a special paradigm: body culture as the frame for a critical study of sports. This happened in contrast to the dominant positivistic tendencies in the Swedish and Norwegian sociology of sport. But the critical engagement, too, is open to an integration into "hybrid research", a characteristic phenomenon of Scandinavian bureaucratic welfare corporatism.

The invisibility of qualitative sociology in Sweden

The special situation of Swedish qualitative sociology may reflect the implacable and antagonistic attitude of the “quantitative sociological establishment” which in practice controls all research funds and all power in the universities. To try for a scientific career as a purely qualitative sociology is still very risky in Sweden. This situation, together with the alliance between positivists and Marxists, helps explain the severe obstacles facing the formation of a qualitative alternative.

Sociology in Shorts: Sociology as Obsessional Neurosis

In a character analysis of mainstream sociology in Sweden the compulsive character is found to be similar to the characteristics of the behaviour of the rigorous empiricist The choice of paradigm in Swedish sociology is seen as a reaction to smallness. The relationship between social democracy and sociology is described as an unfortunate combination of great expectations and castration anxiety. The identity crisis of sociology in the 1970's is assumed to have two possible outcomes Regression or maturation. Finally there is a vision of a Sociology, of passion.

Soft-Data Sociology

About ten years ago, there was a debate on soft data within Swedish sociology. This article sums up the contents of the soft-data debate from an ideological historical point of view. According to both Erik Allardt and Gõran Therbom, this debate was unique for Sweden. The distinction between soft-data and hard-data sociology is based on formal aspects of data. In soft-data sociology qualitative data are used instead of quantitative data. According to the soft-data sociologist, precision is not the ultimate goal of social science. With this wide definition, there are different branches of soft-data sociology with respect to both philosophy of science and consequences for society. In this article, an effort will be made to specify these branches. Furthermore, there will be a discussion of the bases for scientific judgements in both hard-data and soft-data sociology. What are the reasons then for using soft data? The study of scientifically and politically important problems needs soft data. And it is also a way to an anti-elitism among social scientists. Moreover, soft-data sociology used in an un-mechanical research process promises to be empirically and theoretically richer than the positivistic hard-data sociology.