Politisk kultur och samhällsengagemang. En etnologisk studie av den parlamentariska vardagen i Helsingborg

Sammanfattning: Political Culture and Social Engagement. An ethnological study of everyday parliamentary life in Helsingborg. The goal of my thesis is to, by examining foundational features which support political culture, make visible prerequisites for political engagement. Using diverse everyday situations, the thesis describes how one “does” politics. I follow two committee chairpersons in the municipality of Helsingborg (Helsingborgs kommun) in their everyday political work, focusing attention on various specific situations and illustrating in concrete terms what it means to “do” politics. This presentation then forms the basis for a discussion of both political culture and the abilities and competences needed for success in municipal politics in leading a process of negotiation where one must simultaneously balance various individual interests and still retain a view of each issue as a whole. A significant component of political culture is the manner in which people identify themselves with politics. Using the narratives of the politicians themselves, concerning their own experiences of political activities, I present a discussion of political identity, examining how political engagement affects one as a person. In the same manner that one can speak of a political identity, it is also possible to speak of a feeling of belonging among those who are actively involved in parliamentary politics – a politician’s identity – which separates politicians from those citizens who have chosen to remain outside of politics. A politician’s identity is also created in meetings with the mass media. At the same time that the public discourse surrounding politics describes the activities of politicians, this discourse also contains instructions and norms concerning how they are excepted to act. Political work is also about capturing trust. In this struggle it is important to have the right background and competence. The demands made in this context also say something about political culture. A further important goal of the dissertation has been to illuminate the successive changes which political culture and political identity have undergone in recent years, and in the final chapter I discuss the prerequisites for political work in our late modern society.