Precariat, Precarity and Precariousness in (Post-) Welfare-State Scandinavian Literatures

In recent years, labour-market and social insecurity have become important topics in Scandinavian literature.

Often it has been understood in terms of precarity precariousness or even as the emergence of a new class: the precariatThe aim of this project is to analyze the relationship between contemporary Scandinavian literature and precarity and precariousness relating to labor-market and political change in the Scandinavian (post-) welfare-state societies.The project’s two main research questions are: 1) Which thematic and formal characteristics emerge within Scandinavian literatures when writers engage with precarity, precariousness and the precariat, and how do they relate to the economic and political context of the Scandinavian (post-) welfare-state societies?

Special attention will be given to the development of aesthetical-political strategies aiming at creating new political subjectivities, and how they relate to those found in literature (especially working-class literature) from the welfare-state era and earlier. 2) How can the analysis of contemporary Scandinavian literatures contribute to a richer understanding of specific precarious conditions in the Scandinavian (post-) welfare-state societies and of the concepts and phenomena of precarity, precariousness and precariat, as well as their applicability in the Scandinavian context?

Specific attention will be given to how precarious conditions are interpreted and used in processes of political subject formation.