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Att (re)konstruera arbetarrörelsen: Rörelseintellektuella, andrafiering och vägen till en stark och socialdemokratiserad svensk arbetarrörelse, ca. 1928-1936

Hammer, David LU (2025) STVK04 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
The interwar period constitutes a formative period in the history of European labour movements. This study examines why the Swedish labour movement, unlike several of its European counterparts, developed during the interwar period from a weak labour movement with competing centers of power to a strong and more unified social democratized movement. In short: The path to social democratic hegemony, how did it go? By focusing on the process, not the outcome, the study presents the argument that the
development was dependent on a conscious identity politics by SAP movement intellectuals. They wanted to monopolise the labour movement for themselves and without this their ascension to the position of political hegemon in Sweden could have... (More)
The interwar period constitutes a formative period in the history of European labour movements. This study examines why the Swedish labour movement, unlike several of its European counterparts, developed during the interwar period from a weak labour movement with competing centers of power to a strong and more unified social democratized movement. In short: The path to social democratic hegemony, how did it go? By focusing on the process, not the outcome, the study presents the argument that the
development was dependent on a conscious identity politics by SAP movement intellectuals. They wanted to monopolise the labour movement for themselves and without this their ascension to the position of political hegemon in Sweden could have never happened. The SAP movement intellectuals acted as identity entrepreneurs and changed the collective identity of the Swedish labour movement through strategic othering, which social-democratized it. Since othering alone cannot explain historical
change, it is given a dynamic character by using process tracing and the WPR-approach. This study shows not only that SAP’s movement intellectuals actively managed identity formation in the Swedish case, but also that identity politics in the form of othering served as a means for creating a social-democratized movement. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hammer, David LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK04 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Othering, movement intellectuals, collective identity, SAP, labour movements
language
Swedish
id
9189698
date added to LUP
2025-08-08 11:06:16
date last changed
2025-08-11 09:11:25
@misc{9189698,
  abstract     = {{The interwar period constitutes a formative period in the history of European labour movements. This study examines why the Swedish labour movement, unlike several of its European counterparts, developed during the interwar period from a weak labour movement with competing centers of power to a strong and more unified social democratized movement. In short: The path to social democratic hegemony, how did it go? By focusing on the process, not the outcome, the study presents the argument that the 
development was dependent on a conscious identity politics by SAP movement intellectuals. They wanted to monopolise the labour movement for themselves and without this their ascension to the position of political hegemon in Sweden could have never happened. The SAP movement intellectuals acted as identity entrepreneurs and changed the collective identity of the Swedish labour movement through strategic othering, which social-democratized it. Since othering alone cannot explain historical 
change, it is given a dynamic character by using process tracing and the WPR-approach. This study shows not only that SAP’s movement intellectuals actively managed identity formation in the Swedish case, but also that identity politics in the form of othering served as a means for creating a social-democratized movement.}},
  author       = {{Hammer, David}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Att (re)konstruera arbetarrörelsen: Rörelseintellektuella, andrafiering och vägen till en stark och socialdemokratiserad svensk arbetarrörelse, ca. 1928-1936}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}