See a book talk with Lars Trägårdh on the new publication of "The Swedish Theory of Love"! With moderator Anna Kirstine Schirrer, Trägårdh discussed his exploration co-written with Henrik Berggren on how socialist collectivism and individuality co-exist in the Nordic nation, a bestseller in Sweden that has just been released in English translation by Stephen Donovan from University of Washington Press.
In 2020 Sweden’s response to COVID-19 drew renewed attention to the Nordic nation in a way that put the finger on a seeming paradox. Long celebrated for its commitment to social solidarity, Sweden suddenly emerged as the last country in the West to resist lockdown while defending individual rights and responsibilities. To explain these contradictions, Henrik Berggren and Lars Trägårdh argue that the long-standing view of Sweden’s welfare state as the result of socialist collectivism is flawed. While social values have been and remain strong, they have co-existed with a radical form of individualism. The English edition of the Swedish bestseller "Är svensken människa?," "The Swedish Theory of Love" examines a political culture that stresses individual autonomy on the one hand and trust in the state on the other.
Delving into Swedish philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, literary criticism, and political science, the book moves beyond the perspective of rational social engineering to uncover the moral logic behind Sweden’s welfare state: the notion that human relationships based on dependency and subordination lead to inauthenticity and that equality and autonomy are preconditions for genuine love and affection.
“With a remarkably wide range of sources and richness of argumentation, 'The Swedish Theory of Love' explains the success of “the Swedish model” and its apparent paradox: that Swedes value individualism extremely highly but also exhibit a high degree of dependency on the state” (Lynn Wilkinson, University of Texas at Austin)
Purchase the book here:
[ Ссылка ]
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