“Religion is a hub for discussions about democracy”

“Often when people talk about religion, they mean faith and beliefs. But religion is also a social system. It’s a way of expressing morals, values and community. In Sweden, we say that we are secular. This means that we have abandoned our beliefs. But we have not abandoned the part of religion that forms the foundation for how we understand our culture and our values,” explains Mia Lövheim, Professor of Sociology of Religions at the Department of Theology.

Advocates for total religious freedom

When we meet her among the bookshelves at Carolina Rediviva, she has just returned from a research visit to Ellen Key’s home Strand in Östergötland. The visit was part of an ongoing research project on seven women who influenced public debate in the first decades of the 20th century. At a time when modern Sweden was emerging, these women advocated for causes such as gender equality and women’s suffrage. Among them were also advocates for total religious freedom, where every person would have the right to choose for themselves whether they wanted to be part of a religious community or not. Spirituality was a driving force for these women.

“They view spirituality as an ethical, moral and profound force that they feel has been somewhat lost. They are seeking it in response to the major changes in modern society towards a more industrialised and rational – and what they consider to be – fragmented, atomistic approach, where holistic thinking is disappearing,” says Mia Lövheim.

A hundred years later, these issues are as hotly debated as ever. A common thread in Mia Lövheim’s research is how religion becomes a kind of hub for discussions about the development of a democratic society. And she sees the role of women as very central in this.

“I've now started digging back into history and can see that Swedish society was built on debating religion – for goodness’ sake. We need to understand this so that we can cope with the challenges we face today. Throughout Swedish history, religion has always been part of the debate on how modern society should be shaped. It is only since the end of the 20th century that we have come to believe that we are a secular country, and that we no longer need to concern ourselves with religion,” says Mia Lövheim.

Our values are put to the test

When we interact with people from different religious backgrounds and lifestyles, our values are put to the test. This can create uncertainty.

“We then begin to see the role that religion plays in our own culture, both personally and even politically. This often puts core issues in a different light. Such as that religiosity is all about gender equality and the different roles of men and women. Or it could be about how much freedom a child should have in their upbringing as opposed to what their parents want, or about how we care for the elderly, or about death. And these are existential questions for society, you could say. For the existence and self-understanding of society,” explains Mia Lövheim.

In her research, she has seen that women have always played a particularly important role in driving societal development, particularly as purveyors of culture. Traditionally, they have also been the ones who have done volunteer work in churches and other associations. For Mia Lövheim, it became clear during the pandemic how important this activity was for her mother and other women born in the latter half of the 1940s. The pandemic prevented them from performing their volunteer work.

“That’s when I began to realise that they were the ones doing all of this volunteer work. They may not shout their values from the rooftops, but they are there in the churches and second-hand shops. They collect clothes. They bake buns. They clean. They make flower arrangements. They are the glue that holds together much of what we refer to as volunteer work, especially in humanitarian and religious associations. So I started thinking: Geez... when these women disappear, what do we really know about them?” says Mia Lövheim.

Documents passionate individuals

She then embarked on a research project to document these passionate individuals. Through surveys and various ethnographic studies, such as observations and in-depth interviews, she aims to learn more about them.

“What drives their commitment? What role do feelings, relationships and this work play? And I also wanted to investigate how they came to take on this role. In the same way as for women in the early 1900s, it is religiosity or other ethical and moral values that drive them in their commitment,” she says.

So far, 2,000 responses have been received, from both men and women. These will now be analysed.

“We have seen from previous research that there may be more social – as well as altruistic or general – motives among the women. But there is also a link to being a good person. It’s part of their identity,” says Mia Lövheim.

Questions were there early on

She herself grew up in a revivalist movement within the Church of Sweden. Training to become a sociologist of religion was therefore not such a far-fetched idea.

“I wanted to study religion as a social movement, and what makes people join social communities. But I also wanted to find out what keeps these movements going, and what causes them to change or disappear. It was a question I had been carrying with me, so to speak, from my own life. Along with this idea of religion as a driver of societal change,” says Mia Lövheim.

Åsa Malmberg