Class Consciousness and Education in Sweden: A Marxist Analysis of Revolution in a Social Democracy

Description

Emerging from a Marxist perspective, this book focuses on the importance of social class and the role of education broadly in relation to the possibility of revolutionary change in Sweden and beyond. Critically tracing the celebrated so-called ‘Swedish model’ from its inception to its current neoliberalisation, Maisuria explores the contours of class as part of social democratic history, culture and education, especially against the alternatives of communism and fascism. Presenting empirical research on class consciousness within a higher education context, Maisuria analyses student testimonies on their perceptions of social democracy and ‘Swedishness’ with ethno-racial dynamics, which is subjected to a Gramscian and Critical Realist derived explanatory critique for social transformation. Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface and Foreword Organisation of Book PART 1 Marxism, Sweden, and Two Crises 1 Class Consciousness Towards the Possibility of Revolution 2 Charting a History of Social Democracy 2.1 1917–1970s: Origins and the Golden Years of Traditional Swedish Social Democracy 2.2 1970s–1990s: The Emerging Crisis of Swedish Social Democracy 2.3 1990s–2000s: Traditional Swedish Social Democracy Reconfigured as the New Swedish Model 2.4 Sweden and the Education System 2.5 Ethno-‘Racial’, Socio-Cultural, and Political Transitions in Contemporary Sweden 2.6 Opening Up the History and Future of Swedish Social Democracy 3 Theoretical and Philosophical Marxism as a Social Science 3.1 19th and Early 20th-Century Crisis of Marxist Theory for Revolution 3.2 Historical Materialism and Critical Realism 3.3 Antonio Gramsci’s Historical Materialism and Revolutionary Marxism 3.4 Class Struggle in Cultural Forms 3.5 The Significance of Hegemony for Class Struggle PART 2 Designing an Empirical Study of Consciousness and Practices of Class 4 Research Strategy and Design 4.1 Articulating a Problematic for Research 4.2 Particulars and Practicalities of a Study Exploring Class in Sweden 4.3 Life History Interviews 4.4 A Note on (Inter)Subjectivity PART 3 Researching Consciousness and Practices of Class in Sweden 5 The Findings of a Case Study on Consciousness and Practices of Class in Sweden 5.1 Swedish Life Histories 5.2 Finnish Life Histories 5.3 Global South Immigrant Life Histories 5.4 Summary of Findings 6 Aiming for a Greater Understanding of Life in Sweden 6.1 Deploying Ethnography 6.2 Ethnographic Experience 6.3 Hanging Out PART 4 Making Sense of Consciousness and Practices of Social Class in Sweden 7 Developing an Explanatory Critique From Accounts of Empirical Reality 7.1 Obscuring Inequality and Emerging Equity Perceptions 7.2 Elision and Perceptions of Feasibility 8 Concluding Remarks, Taking Stock, and Moving On 8.1 Reflecting on the Critical Theoretical Framework and Contemporary Sweden 8.2 Further Development: Possibilities and Limitations References Appendices Appendix A: Swedish Social Democratic Hegemony Appendix B: Email Exchange With a Swedish Industrial Relations Expert Index