Swedish “Socialism” – Not what it used to be, but then again it never
was
A talk by Daniel Ankarloo
Wed. Nov. 4 at 7:00 p.m.
at TRS Inc. Professional Suites, 11th
floor, 44 East 32nd Street, Manhattan
(bet. Lexington & Park Aves.)
In light of
the crisis of neoliberalism that the “financial
crisis” has made apparent, but also the impasse of the Left, political analysts
and activists increasingly turn to Sweden as a “socialist” example. However,
the “socialist” character of Swedish society is a severely limited one. For the last twenty years or more, Swedish society has
been moving steadily in the opposite direction of socialism, in a wave of
privatization, retrenchment of social services and social security, “flexibilization” of labor-market
relations, and increasing inequalities. Furthermore, Swedish socialism – “the
social policy road to socialism” – was a class-collaborationist attempt to
achieve “socialism within capitalism,” a project that from the outset was bound
to fail because of its inner contradictions. From this perspective the speaker
deduces some political implications for the Swedish labor
movement and the international Left in general.
Daniel Ankarloo holds a doctorate in economic history and is a Senior Lecturer
of social policy and social work at Malmö University
in Sweden. He is a frequent contributor to
the theoretical and political debate within the Swedish labor
movement and the Left. He has published widely in Swedish journals on topics of
economics and politics – recently with specific focus on the prospects and
limitations of the Swedish Welfare Model. He has published two books in Swedish
on the topic: Kris i välfärdsfrågan
(Crisis in the Welfare Issue) and Marknadsmyter:
en kritisk granskning av nyliberala påståenden
(Market myths: a Critical Look at Neo-Liberal Assertions). Ankarloo
is currently working on a book on the Swedish Welfare Model in English.
Co-Sponsored by the Marxist-Humanist Initiative
“A new
beginning for Marxist-Humanism, a new organization for a time of crisis”
www.marxist-humanist-initiative.org
mhi@marxisthumanistinitiative.org
toll-free
phone (888) 5792245
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