En godnattsaga för demokratin? En undersökning av ett läsfrämjande projekt i facklig regi

Abstract

The purpose of this master thesis is to show how a chosen actor in form of the Swedish union organization IF Metall (the Swedish union for metal- and industrial workers) works with pro-reading activities. The project being scrutinized is the Read to me dad-project which aims at fathers who are not used to reading activities within the LO-group (the Swedish Trade Union Confederation). The methods used are interviews and literary studies. The theoretical background of my discussion is based on three education ideals. The neo-humanist ideal emphasizes the personal improvement through literature. This ideal has occasionally taken part in the struggle against what is considered to be poor literature. The second education ideal aimed at educating the citizens of a country in democracy and to safeguard the individual’s role as a member of society. The ideal of self-education stands for the free and voluntary. Here it is important that workers also educate themselves and literature is the foremost mean of education. I also look into the education ideal of conscientiousness which was often focused on sobriety and proper behaviour. It also emphasized the idea of educating oneself in order to strengthen and improve the working-class. In my analysis and final discussion I argue that these ideals can be found in a modern pro-reading project such as Read to me dad, but in a more modern way. I bring up the condition of reading ability and habits with emphasis on men within the LO-group. I discuss the statistics and how those alarming figures triggered new pro-reading projects. I also look into barriers standing in the way of reading and discuss what this project can lead to and what maybe will happen in a nearby future.