Gender, Social Change and Modernity in Sweden/Scandinavia

The aim of the course is to provide the student with basic knowledge about gender, social change and modernity in Sweden and Scandinavia, covering the period from the late 1800s up to the 1950s as well as to present the development of some theoretical debates within this field. The course explores Scandinavian political, social, feminist and literary texts in relation to gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, and the development of women's rights in a historically changing society. Research regarding women's rights, Scandinavian cultural expressions, and the mechanisms of intolerance and xenophobia from the late 1800s to the 1950s will be presented. Central issues about gender, ethnicity and sexuality, social change and modernity in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia will be compared with international development. The course is mainly intended for international students who wish to acquire knowledge of the Swedish and Scandinavian societies from a gender perspective but is also open for all other students at Lund University.