ATT BILDA I MOTVIND. Vad som står på spel för studieförbunden i Göteborg på grund av nedskärningarna

Abstract

This thesis explores what is at stake for the study associations, popular adult education, and ultimately democracy, due to funding cuts, according to the study associations’ branches in Gothenburg. The thesis investigates this by analyzing their reactions to the changes brought about by the cuts in government funding between 2024 and 2026. The study is guided by three research questions, which were answered through eight interviews with nine informants from the study associations’ branches in Gothenburg. The interview material was analyzed using a qualitative content analysis grounded in three theoretical entry points: popular adult education as a counter-hegemonic practice, spatial aspects of democracy, and shaping hope rather than wishful thinking. The results of the analysis are that the study associations’ work for social change is more indirect than direct, and to some extent they form a counter-hegemonic practice against the funding cuts. They see themselves as part of the public space in Gothenburg and argue that the funding cuts make it difficult for the study associations to be visible and take up space in the city. They primarily respond to the funding cuts with an active hope and they strive to adopt a constructive hope that blends optimism and pessimism, which also allows them some time for dealing with emotions. In the concluding discussion, the thesis argues that the study associations, popular adult education and, in the long run, democracy, are gradually being diminished due to the funding cuts undermining the work of the study associations. It also concludes that the relationship between the study associations and the state has become more unstable, and that the significance of popular adult education is being debated and renegotiated in light of the consequences of these funding cuts.