Theme 2 Culture, Heritage and History

Talked about Nationalism

• Relation nation state - nation• Definition of nation – imagined community

• Apparent features of scandinavian/swedish nationalism 1800 – 1950

• How sweden became Swedish• Last Wednesday – social engineering, Peoples home

and education system to form children as good citizens

Democratic values • We read the curriculum and I gave you an example of how it is internalized in

education – fostering the liberated self.

• In the end also showed some short cuts from the stories of Sweden's most famous child book writer – Astrid Lindgren.

• Both as an example on how the child during the 20th century became a citizen and person with their own will and rights. Parents respect. Also Madicken the break in society from the old authorial school system with God, faithfulness _ the black dressed Headmaster beating children subordination –

• And Madicken and her family, father, mother maid questioning this system and abuse of children.

Today talk about the concept culture

• But also how we can study and understand culture.

• Using the articles in the compendium Forces of habits and The sweetness of home

• Understand concept like habit, everyday culture – cultural aspects that exist rigth in front of our eyes but are difficult to see.

• We will also pick up the thread from last time and look into the family life in Sweden – still the same period 1800-2000.

• If the purpose last time was to give you an understanding of social engineering and how socialisation of Swedish citizens was an issue for politicians and experts (sociologists, Psychologists and pedagogues. Today the everyday life and peoples own making of ”Swedish culture”.

Forces of habit

• The concept of culture

• The anthropological concept (includes the other high, popular, representative etc. culture etc.)

• The universal• The cultural/

collective• The personal

• Culture learned, shared• Culture makes the world tangible, possible to

manoeuvre and understand

• Organizing, categorising, Helps us decide whats good or bad, ugly or beautiful, right and wrong – goes through every aspect of human life – body, mind, law, society, knowledge, art etc.

The order of thingsThe division of animals:

A. Belonging to the emperorB. EmbalmedC. TameD. Sucking pigsE. SirensF. FabulousG. Stray dogsH. Included in present classificationI. FrenziedJ. InnumerableK. Drawn with a very fine camelhair brushL. Et ceteraM. Having just broken the water pitcherN. That from a long way off look like flies

”Ancient Chinese encyclopaedia titled Celestial Empire of Benevolent Knowledge”

Think of it:

• How do you categorize animals

• Within natural science: • Mammals Reptiles• Vertebrates

• If you go hunting – by tradition a moose the king, a deer, higher value than a rabbit. Lion, Elephant etc.

• This is just one example of how things we take for granted, that we are not always aware of might be quite different at another place, among other people and in other parts of history.

• Things change but are also stable• relativism

• Conscious• Unconscious

• Pre reflexive consciousness

• The lens through which we interpret and understand the world

• Ethnocentrism – judge others and other peoples culture through your own criterion.

• Ethno - collective

Aware in the encounter with people and cultural features that are different

The fish coming up of the water.

We will work more with this lens later.

• Now turn the eyes towards the texts of today. Löfgren and Frykman writes about the forces of habits – how difficult they might be to understand and make visible and still we meat them and experience them everyday.

• Habit in the bus – never sit down next to anyone else.

• Make you aware of being ”French” or ”Korean” or any other cultural identity as we talked about in the group discussions about how a We is created.

Summary of discussion in forces of habit

• Invisible – in the body

• The habits of others – other places more apparent

• Get rid of habits – modern and rational – not a slave of habits and tradition (liberated selves)

• Bad habits – possible to reform (children drinking coffee in the morning.

• Bad habits – the expertise – educate working class – drinking dirty

• Exclusive – the laid table – habit in social context

• The tradition of breaking away – mobility – meet others challenge

The sweetness of homeConstruction of culture (culture building)

• Löfgren is using history and the cultural analysis of home and family life during the period of 1850 – 1950 in order to understand his own childhood and his own values and notions of home and family life.

• Born 1945 – grew up in Stockholm

Löfgren

• The oscarian bourgoise (internationally the Victorian period) Are you familiar with victorian period the reign of Queen Victoria UK 1837 – 1901. relating to the attitudes and values associated with the Victorian period, especially those of prudsihness and high moral tone.

• King of Sweden Oscar

Creation of culture as a consequence of changes in society. In a historical materialist (Marxism) scientific analyse the starting point is: Changes in society (i e industrialization) makes changes and new systems of values and knowledge's possible. Secondly he wants to describe the function of these new cultural patterns in forming, establishing, confirming the order in society or a certain class position.

• The cultural construction among the bourgeoisie during this period also makes us understand (not just the values of home and family today but also)

• The way culture is built, change and confirmed.

Culture and change

• Culture a tool – gives power in a cultural battle

• Bourgeoisie created their culture in constraint and contrast to aristocracy and peasants.

• Culture created when people starts to questioning the existing circumstances – society. Bourgeoisie – part of a new capitalism and new ways of production

• Culture and domination – hegemony one group dominates have great influence on another – bourgeoisie v s working class

• Quiet indoctrination of bourgeois values on working class

• Revolt, resisters – pretend to subordinate but instead create something else - competition

Symbolic inversion

Culture/order Nature/ChaosCivilized PrimitiveCultivated WildHuman BestialControlled UncontrolledManners VulgarRational IrrationalSense EmotionHead BodyThought HandPure ImpureMoral AmoralHigh LowIndividual crowdUpper class Lower class

The Oscarian bourgeoisie 1850

• Bourgeoisie – reorganisation of family life• Peasants – marriage practical, economical family issue

• Division in labour among peasants – women and men separated – men move for work – female staying at home

• Aristocracy – also pragmatic – among your own lot – keep property

• Bourgeoisie – not dependent on economy – romantic love – man economy; woman protected housewife

• ”The couple” – a lot of literature and handbooks about this – especially girls fostered in this romantic love. Children's balls and debutant balls.

Intimacy but not sexuality

• Even the chairs have covered legs.

• A room with a view

The home

Privacy, intimacy – decorations and cosy a place to relax.

• But also a place for representation. • Private and public parts of the home• Division in access – men's room dark harsh

colours,• Female room, light, bright etc.

• Horror vacui

• Decoration – overloaded interiors, plants, souvenirs, bric-à-brac, tassels and lace

children• Not existent – kept with the household staff

• To show up sometimes

• The beloved but quite absent parents

• The father harsh – the mother smooth and nice – father the head public person

• - mother the heart jfr Madicken Fanny och Alexander

Next generation - 1930

• The functionalist/social democrates

• Teach the working class proper values ”good habits”

• – fostering them – journalists, professors, school material – clean, proper, order

• Birdfamily – lean and proper (childstories) Elsa Beskow

The working class

• Overcrowded home• Lodgers• Dirty• Drinking

• The exhibition 1917 – Wilhelm Kåge

Peoples home

• Comfort, function

• The holy parlour – a room just for special occasions