Nordstrom Byron J. Culture and Customs of Sweden (ENG)
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Culture and Customs
of Sweden
Map of Sweden. (Courtesy of BookComp, Inc.)
Culture and Customs
of Sweden
BYRON J. NORDSTROM
Culture and Customs of Europe
Copyright 2010 by Byron J. Nordstrom
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nordstrom, Byron J.
Culture and customs of Sweden / Byron J. Nordstrom.
p. cm. — (Culture and customs of Europe)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–313–34371–1 (hard copy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–313–34372–8 (ebook)
1. Ethnology—Sweden. 2. Sweden—Social life and customs. I. Title.
DL639.N68 2010
948.5—dc22 2010014133
ISBN: 978–0–313–34371–1
EISBN: 978–0–313–34372–8
1413121110 12345
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Contents
Series Foreword vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Chronology xv
1 Land, People, and a Brief History 1
2 Religion 27
3 Marriage, Family, Gender, and Education 45
4 Holidays, Customs, and Leisure Activities 63
5 Media 83
6 Literature 95
7 Performing Arts 121
8 Art, Architecture, and Design 145
Bibliography 181
Index 187
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Series Foreword
THE OLD WORLD and the New World have maintained a fluid exchange of peo-
ple, ideas, innovations, and styles. Even though the United States became the
de facto world leader and economic superpower in the wake of a devastated
Europe in World War II, Europe has remained for many the standard bearer
of Western culture.
Millions of Americans can trace their ancestors to Europe. The United
States as we know it was built on waves of European immigration, starting with
the English, who braved the seas to found the Jamestown Colony in 1607.
Bos nian and Albanian imm igrants are some of the latest new Americans. In
the Gilded Age of one of our great expatriates, the novelist Henry James, the
Grand Tour of Europe was de rigueur for young Ameri can men of means to
prepare them for a life of refinement and taste. In the more recent democratic
age, scores of American college students have Eurorailed their way across Great
Britain and the Continen t, sampling the fabled capitals and bergs in a mad,
great adventure, or have benefited from a semester abroad. For other American
vacationers and culture vultures, Europe is the prime destination. What is the
new post–Cold War, post–Berlin Wall Europe in the new millennium ? Even
with the different languages, rhythms, and rituals, Europeans have much in
common: They are largely well-educated, prosperous, and worldly. They also
have similar goals, face common threats, and form alliances. With the advent
of the European Union, the open borders, and the Euro, and considering
globalization and the prospect of a homogenized Europe, an updated survey of
the region is warranted.
Culture and Customs of Europe features individual volumes on the countries
most studied for which fresh information is in demand from students and
other readers. The series casts a wide net, i ncluding not only the expected
countries, such as Spain, France, England, and Germany, but also countries
such as Poland and Greece that lie outside Western Europe proper. Each vol-
ume is written by a country specialist with intimate knowledge of the con-
temporary dynamics of a people and culture. Sustained narrative chapters
cover the land, the people, and offer a brief history; they also discuss religion,
social customs, gender roles, family, marriage, literature and media, perform-
ing arts and cinema, and art and architecture. The national character and
ongoing popular traditions of each country are framed in a historical context
and celebrated along with the latest trends and major cultural figures. A coun-
try map, chronology, glossary, and evocative photos enhance the text.
The storied and enlightened Europeans will continue to fascinate Americans.
Our futures are strongly linked politically, economically, and culturally.
viii SERIES FOREWORD
Preface
AS THE SERIES FOREWORD indicates, this volume shares its basic content themes
with a number of books that are intended to provide new and current looks at
one European country—in this case, Sweden. When I was asked to undertake
this project, I was initially somewhat reluctant. I am a historian. My fields of
specialization are Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American histor y. I have
been researching and writing in these fields for nearly 40 years. I am, however,
neither a current affairs specialist nor a native Swede; and I wondered whether
an “outsider,” someone who was neither raised in Sweden nor constantly
immersed in it, could really understand the place. As a result, it was only after
some reflection that I decided the invitation was too enticing. Of course, what
I knew about the country’s history would inform many components of the
book, and the challenge of developing useful and accurate descriptions of
many elements of contemporary Swedish national life was irresistible.
The book is based largely around the Series’ standard structure. An intro-
ductory chapter looks at Sweden’s geography, climate, population, history,
politics, economy, and some of the characteristics that supposedly define
Swedes today. In Chapter 2, the focus is on religion, with particular attention
given to the long history behind the predominance of the Lutheran Church,
the emergence of other Christian denominations, the Jews and Muslims in
Sweden, and the apparent secularism of many Swedes. Chapter 3 has three
main themes. One is the changing nature of marriage and family. Here the