In this episode of The Finnophile Podcast, I talk to Lars Trägårdh about his book The Swedish Theory of Love. Lars is a Swedish historian and professor of history and civil society studies at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College in Sweden.
In Sweden, there exists an idea of pure love that is built not on mutual dependence but on a strong foundation of autonomy. This idea is present both in the national culture and the institutions of the modern Swedish welfare state.
But why do Swedes value independence so much? And how has this influenced the Swedish culture, society, and relationships? This is what I tried to find out during the discussion with Lars.
Lars Trägårdh is a historian who has mostly lived in the US since 1970 while maintaining his personal and professional ties to Sweden. After many years as an entrepreneur and businessman, he returned to academic studies in 1986.
He received his PhD in history from UC Berkeley in 1993 after living and carrying out research for several years in both Germany and Sweden. He then took up a position teaching Modern European history at Barnard College, Columbia University, where he remained for ten years.
During his years in the US, he also served as a guest professor at the University of Linköping, teaching graduate courses, and he also conducted a research project at Södertörn University College, which resulted in the celebrated book – Är svensken människa? Gemenskap och oberoende i det moderna Sverige (2006, pocket 2009, revised and extended edition 2015, German translation 2016) – co-written with Henrik Berggren.
In 2010, he returned to Sweden where he now serves as a professor of history and civil society studies at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College where he in recent years have focused on projects concerning state/civil society relations, individual right, the juridification of politics, the Nordic model and the Swedish social contract, and a comparative project on children’s rights regimes in Sweden, France, and the United States.
He currently heads a major research project on social trust works that involves a large quantitative survey measuring variation and change in the level of social trust and confidence in institutions in 36 local communities across Sweden, as well as historical and comparative analyses that rely on qualitative data.
Aside from his academic research and writing, he has established a role as a public commentator on Swedish and American politics and society, publishing regularly in Swedish print media and appearing frequently on Swedish radio and TV. Between 2011 and 2013 he was an independent member of the Commission on the Future of Sweden, headed by the then prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
Here is Lars' website: www.larstragardh.se/en/welcome/
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About me:
This is Mahmudul Islam. I'm a writer and journalist from Bangladesh. I'm also the host of The Finnophile Podcast. I lived in Finland for 3 years and that's when I became fascinated with everything Finnish and Nordic, especially their social policies.
I have been writing about Finland and Finnish culture for a few years here: [ Ссылка ]
In my YouTube videos, I feature experts and leaders from different fields, discussing a wide range of subjects, such as culture, happiness, life, etc.
If you have something to say, contact me at r2000.gp@gmail.com
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Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:52 What is the Swedish theory of love
05:33 What type of society was Sweden in the past
08:25 European marriage pattern
14:09 Why autonomy is key to equality
21:19 Asymmetric power relationship
25:53 Does Nordic individualism weaken family relationships
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Intro music: bensound.com
B-roll photos and videos were mostly taken from Pexels and Pixabay
