Politika aktivacije tržišta rada: zapošljivost, isključenost i aktivni građanski status

The article focuses on the formation of the ideal “active citizen” in labour market policy and analyses central ideas and arguments in labour market policy from the 1990s onwards, par-ticularly concerning dominant conceptualisations of work and the ideal working citizen. In Sweden, as well as in many other countries, labour market policies have changed rapidly dur-ing the last two decades. Ever since the late 1980s and early 1990s, Swedish labour market policy has primarily been aiming at “activating” citizens, getting them out of passive “welfare dependency” into active “self-employment”. With the “activating” labour market policies of the 1990s, work has gradually become a duty, rather than a fundamental social right.U članku se usredotočuje na oblikovanje idealnoga »aktivnog građanina« u okviru politike tržišta rada te se analiziraju središnje ideje i argumenti u politici tržišta rada od devedesetih godina 20. stoljeća naovamo, osobito s obzirom na dominantne konceptualizacije rada i idealnoga zaposlenog građanina. U Švedskoj su se, kao i u brojnim drugim zemljama, politike tržišta rada brzo mijenjale tijekom posljednjih dvaju desetljeća. Još od kasnih osamdesetih i ranih devedesetih švedska je politika tržišta rada ponajprije usmjerena na »aktiviranje« građana, pomažući im u prijelazu iz pasivne »socijalne ovisnosti« u aktivno »samozapošljavanje«. S »poticajnim« politikama tržišta rada devedesetih, rad je postupno, umjesto temeljnoga socijalnog prava, postao dužnost

(Re)forming the inside/outside: on place as a governable domain through sports-based interventions

This article draws attention to two sports-based interventions carried out as part of the Midnight Football initiative and the places where they are conducted in two suburban areas in Sweden. Rather than approaching geographic place as simply a background and a context for sport-based interventions, we put place in the spotlight, scrutinising the very formation of place and its productive role in governing social policy. In line with a Foucauldian approach, and based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, the aim of the article is to explore how the specific localities where interventions take place are formed as governable domains. The analysis shows how place is constituted in association with sport sites, local youth outreach and recruiting coaches. These places are made distinct from the rest of the surrounding cities via material and symbolic borders, directing the movement of people within the urban geography. These differentiations underpin attributions of the areas in terms of otherness and exclusion from the rest of society, localising a variety of problematisations to the demarcated areas. Furthermore, the places are demarcated as being filled with danger, intertwined with narratives challenging such a discourse. In conclusion, the findings enable us not only to scrutinise how specific meanings are attributed to place and how place is formed, but also to explore the performative and governable potential of place

Adult Migrants' Language Learning, Labour Market, and Social Inclusion

In this thematic issue, we present up‐to‐date research from authors who problematise the various links between adult migrants' language learning, education, the labour market, and social inclusion. Some contributions are more focused on the relation between education and social inclusion, while others emphasise links between language learning, the labour market, and social inclusion. Together, authors in this thematic issue point to the multiple challenges migrants face when trying to establish themselves in a new country

(Re)forming the inside/outside: on place as a governable domain through sports-based interventions

This article draws attention to two sports-based interventions carried out as part of the Midnight Football initiative and the places where they are conducted in two suburban areas in Sweden. Rather than approaching geographic place as simply a background and a context for sport-based interventions, we put place in the spotlight, scrutinising the very formation of place and its productive role in governing social policy. In line with a Foucauldian approach, and based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, the aim of the article is to explore how the specific localities where interventions take place are formed as governable domains. The analysis shows how place is constituted in association with sport sites, local youth outreach and recruiting coaches. These places are made distinct from the rest of the surrounding cities via material and symbolic borders, directing the movement of people within the urban geography. These differentiations underpin attributions of the areas in terms of otherness and exclusion from the rest of society, localising a variety of problematisations to the demarcated areas. Furthermore, the places are demarcated as being filled with danger, intertwined with narratives challenging such a discourse. In conclusion, the findings enable us not only to scrutinise how specific meanings are attributed to place and how place is formed, but also to explore the performative and governable potential of place

Fostran till svenskhet? Om en mångtydig samverkan mellan skola och föräldrar1

Föräldrarnas aktiva roll i relation till både skolan och elevernas skolutveckling har under senare år lyfts fram som en avgörande fråga i svensk skolpolitisk debatt. Föreliggande artikel handlar om hur tjänstemän och skolpersonal i en mångetnisk stadsdel i Stockholm talar om skolans samverkan med föräldrar. Deras tal domineras i stort av två argumentationslinjer, den ena med fokus på föräldrars språk och kultur, den andra med fokus på föräldrars utanförskap. Dessa argumen- tationslinjer tillhandahåller till synes olika sätt att förstå föräldrar i relation till skolan, men tenderar, sist och slutligen, att förenas i tanken om familjen som orsak till en rad allvarliga samhällsproblem. En slutsats i artikeln är att den “föräldraaktivering” som efterlyses i samtida svensk politik sammantaget tycks äga rum på högst ojämlika villkor. Samverkan mellan skola och föräldrar är i flera avseenden villkorad. Inte bara i den meningen att samverkan många gånger sker på skolans villkor snarare än föräldrarnas. Den bygger dessutom på ett, oftast implicit, antagande om att det med självklarhet är “vi svenskar” som ska “aktivera invandrare”

Directing Paths Into Adulthood: Newly Arrived Students and the Intersection of Education and Migration Policy

This article is centred on the tendency to align education for newly arrived students with migration policy. Drawing on an in-depth analysis of interviews with four adult migrant students, we aim to investigate how the participants’ experiences of studying and how they imagine their future intersect with their immigration status. The interviews were conducted when they were first studying a language introduction programme, and then three years later. We focus on the participants’ narratives about transitions within the education system and later into the labour market. Using Sara Ahmed’s approach to the orientation of subjects in time and space, the analysis shows that all students expressed a desire to “be in line,” meaning finishing their studies and finding employment. Students with temporary and conditional residence permits were directed towards specific vocational tracks and sectors of the labour market. Migrant students are a heterogenous group and, based on the findings presented, we argue that immigration status constitutes a crucial part of this heterogeneity, influencing how students imagine their future in a new society

Use-Values for Inclusion: Mobilizing Resources in Popular Education for Newly Arrived Refugees in Sweden

In times of market reforms and international migration, the Swedish welfare model has been seriously challenged. In the context of the arrival of refugees in 2015–2017, the state turned to civil society in facing up to the challenges. In this article, we direct our attention to the Workers’ Educational Association’s (ABF) state-funded work with refugees, with a specific focus on the activities conducted, the resources making them possible and the use-value of the resources mobilised. The article is based on observations and interviews with study circle leaders, managers and asylum seekers. The analysis illustrates that ABF, in line with its historical legacy, the broader workers’ movement, the strong notion of popular education as ‘free and voluntary’, has, with its well-established connections throughout the country, not solely taken on the task defined by the state. In solidarity, ABF has also responded to the needs of the refugees. As highlighted in the analysis, ABF has mobilized a wide range of resources, not least providing refugees with social networks and help in contacting the authorities. With such mobilization, opportunities were provided for the inclusion of refugees in Sweden

Does the Supreme Court Follow the Economic Returns? A Response to A Macrotheory of the Court

Today, there is a widespread idea that parents need to learn how to carry out their roles as parents. Practices of parental learning operate throughout society. This article deals with one particular practice of parental learning, namely nanny TV, and the way in which ideal parents are constructed through such programmes. The point of departure is SOS family, a series broadcast on Swedish television in 2008. Proceeding from the theorising of governmentality developed in the wake of the work of Michel Foucault, we analyse the parental ideals conveyed in the series, as an example of the way parents are constituted as subjects in the ‘advanced liberal society’ of today. The ideal parent is a subject who, guided by the coach, is constantly endeavouring to achieve a makeover. The objective of this endeavour, however, is self-control, whereby the parents will in the end become their own coaches.