Kollektivare och tjänstemän. Klassmedvetande i ett svenskt fackförbund

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine subjective class in a Swedish labour union. The research questions focus on the informants' perceptions of the significance of class and the relation between class and union work, as well as the more implicit ways they express class-related ideas. The method is ethnographic, combining longer qualitative interviews with participant observation at local union meetings, study meetings, and other union events. In order to ”read class between the lines” at the initial stage of the study, Marxist theory and Bourdieu's theory of class have been used as points of departure. Analysis of the collected material is based in theories on class consciousness and research on labour unions, and divided into three parts, as set out in Rothman's model of class consciousness: class awareness, class identity and class solidarity. The analysis reveals several common themes, categories and demarcations, such as talking about office workers versus ”those who do the work” and the clear distinction made between employers and employees. It also suggests significant contradictions in the class consciousness of union members, both between and within individuals.