Abstract
Within intellectual history, social history and political theory labour republicanism is experiencing a revival. Conceptually, this revival is concerned with extending the neo-republican ideas developed by Quentin Skinner and Philip Pettit, among others, the last 30 years from the political sphere to the
economic sphere. Empirically, scholars are concerned with demonstrating how republican ideas of freedom as non-domination, shared ownership and collective self-management have influenced 19th century and early 20th century labour movements in their attempts to create a class-based counter civil society within a bourgeois state, and an emerging market economy. Interestingly, this labour republican revival has completely ignored the Nordic case. While the Nordic labour movements have, especially in a comparative perspective, been successful in (co-)creating prosperous, equal, safe, and fair societies, they have predominantly done so through neo-corporativist integration with state
authorities, and negotiation and compromise employer associations. Hence, Nordic labour movements have chosen to follow their strategic goals through welfare statism rather than creating a class-based counter civil society, as labour republican ideas would suggest. With a focus on the Danish case, this paper will attempt to re-inscribe the early Nordic labour movements within a 19th transEuropean labour republican program, hereby focusing on the scattered instances of a form of Nordic labour republicanism, as well as explaining why this road was ultimately not taken.
economic sphere. Empirically, scholars are concerned with demonstrating how republican ideas of freedom as non-domination, shared ownership and collective self-management have influenced 19th century and early 20th century labour movements in their attempts to create a class-based counter civil society within a bourgeois state, and an emerging market economy. Interestingly, this labour republican revival has completely ignored the Nordic case. While the Nordic labour movements have, especially in a comparative perspective, been successful in (co-)creating prosperous, equal, safe, and fair societies, they have predominantly done so through neo-corporativist integration with state
authorities, and negotiation and compromise employer associations. Hence, Nordic labour movements have chosen to follow their strategic goals through welfare statism rather than creating a class-based counter civil society, as labour republican ideas would suggest. With a focus on the Danish case, this paper will attempt to re-inscribe the early Nordic labour movements within a 19th transEuropean labour republican program, hereby focusing on the scattered instances of a form of Nordic labour republicanism, as well as explaining why this road was ultimately not taken.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2022 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
| Event | Bureaucratic Voluntarism: Historical and Sociological Studies on the Organisation of Associational Life in the Nordic Countries and Beyond - Copenhagen Business School Duration: 26 Aug 2022 → 27 Aug 2022 |
Conference
| Conference | Bureaucratic Voluntarism |
|---|---|
| Location | Copenhagen Business School |
| Period | 26/08/2022 → 27/08/2022 |
| Other | The workshop uses bureaucracy as a lens to explore the conformity, consensus, and collaborativeness that are held typical for voluntary associations in the Nordic region. |
