Kollektiva emotioner i den socialdemokratiska berättelsen - Att forma visioner i tider av framtidsrädsla

Abstract

In the changing political landscape today with increased inequality, climate threat and a growing populism, in the face of which the established political parties stand before new and big challenges, this study aims to get a deeper understanding of the Swedish Social democrat’s collective emotions in the shaping of a social democratic narrative. Using emotional sociological concepts from Collins, Lantz and Wettergren this study contributes to the field of political emotions. The qualitative method used to collect empirical data is based on focus group interviews with social democratic politicians and members. The result of the study shows that nostalgia, pride, guilt, shame, confusion, frustration, fear and hope are the most prominent collective emotions expressed in the interviewed focus groups, some shown in clear patterns, others more subtle that could be seen more as tendencies. The guilt, shame and confusion can be seen as connected to a bad self-confidence in the groups that makes it hard for them to think positively about their abilities in the future. The participants' avoidance of talking about the fears of the future makes it difficult to identify objects of hope. Both the bad confidence and the avoidance of learning about future threats creates difficulties in shaping the longed-for future visions for the participants.