Instructions for reading at home. The shaping of domestic reading practices in the Swedish welfare state.

About the project

The purpose of the project is to create an understanding of how domestic reading practices were shaped and made possible in the Swedish welfare society.

Sweden has a long-standing tradition of the governing of domestic reading practices through explicit and implicit policy targeting households and families. However, this type of governing has been unproblematised, both as a policy practice and as an object of research. Furthermore, in current educational, civic and political debate, the “right” kind of reading practices are described as something that inevitably will result in economic prosperity, cognitive development, cultural enhancement and social mobility for Sweden as a country, as well as for its inhabitants. This project will critically examine this notion.