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Writing Class : Precarious Labour in Contemporary Swedish Literature

Contributor(s): Resource type: Ressourcentyp: Buch (Online)Book (Online)Language: Swedish Series: Malmö University Studies in Class and CulturePublisher: Lund, Sweden : Kriterium : Kriterium [Imprint], 2025Description: 1 Online-Ressource (1 electronic resource 192 p.)ISBN:
  • 9789178776870
  • 9789178776887
Subject(s): Online resources: Summary: In Writing Class, Magnus Nilsson offers a groundbreaking exploration of how contemporary Swedish literature responds to the rise of precarious labour. Focusing on literary portrayals of working-class experiences of labour-market precarity in the post-welfare state era, Nilsson examines how authors engage with the socio-economic transformations that have reshaped Sweden’s labour market since the turn of the millennium. Through close readings of novels, poetry, drama, reportage, and graphic narratives, the book reveals how literature not only helps readers understand the realities of precarious labour but also contributes to the political imaginaries that shape resistance to it. Nilsson situates his analysis within broader scholarly debates on the precariat, precarity, and precariousness. In particular, Writing Class engages critically with Guy Standing’s notion of the precariat as a distinct global class, by showing how Swedish literature often portrays precarious workers as part of a broadly defined working class, deeply embedded in national histories of labour struggle and welfare reform, often advocating for traditional labour-movement politics and union organising as the best response to labour-market precarity. Nilsson explores how contemporary Swedish literature about precarious labour both engages with and reconfigures the tradition of working-class literature. While older working-class literature often portrayed workers from within a politically organised and ideologically unified class, contemporary authors write about a fragmented and politically unorganised precariat. Nilsson argues that these authors do not merely represent an existing class but actively contribute to its formation as a class-for-itself. Furthermore, Nilsson identifies many references to the tradition of working-class literature that serve as rhetorical signals, inviting readers to interpret new texts within the framework of working-class literature. Nilsson challenges the assumption that working-class literature must be written from within the class in a biographical sense. Instead, he proposes a political understanding of class, where ideological commitment and engagement with the labour movement are central. This reframing allows contemporary authors writing about precarious labour to be seen as continuing the tradition of working-class literature, albeit in new forms suited to today’s socio-economic realities. Drawing on thinkers such as Toril Moi, Rita Felski, and Axel Honneth, Writing Class underscores literature’s capacity to generate situated knowledge, embrace complexity, and inspire political action. A vital contribution to literary studies, cultural theory, and labour history, Writing Class is essential reading for scholars interested in the intersections of literature, class, and political economy in the Nordic context and beyondPPN: PPN: 1983978264Package identifier: Produktsigel: ZDB-94-OAB
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