Health through Work: Lutheran and gendered perspectives in Swedish health magazines 1910–13

Abstract

This article analyses Lutheran and gendered perspectives in Swedish health magazines published from 1910 to 1913. As the article shows, we may talk of a masculine middle-class bias that, in the magazines, intertwined with a Lutheran outlook on life. Hard work and discipline as well as a willingness to be at the service of one’s neighbour are emphasized as essential to life and good health. The notion of the calling is seen as a key factor in explaining the Lutheran perspective on health. The emphasis on the calling and a Lutheran view of society are seen as crucial aspects that distinguish the Swedish approach to health from those of muscular Christianity.