Johan Bergman
Research
Ongoing research
The project “Is their cause our cause? Swedish solidarity with Chile 1971–1991” aims at exploring the terms of solidarity from a historical point of view. I investigate the relationship between Chilean refugees and Swedish leftist radicals in Sweden during the 70s and 80s. How did these radicals express their solidarity with Chile in theory and practice? Why and how did this practice change over time?
In this project, ”solidarity as social practice” is understood and explained as an integrated part of an ongoing globalization process. Amongst other things, that process has meant that a general interest has grown within public debate about the actual nature and workings of solidarity as a social phenomenon. From a historical point of view many of the initial ambitions and expressions of solidarity took an unpredictable turn. This touches upon issues that previous research dealing with solidarity has found difficult to explain. Empirically, I investigate the development of the Swedish Chile Committees (active 1971–1991). My project works with the hypothesis that the Committees’ activities resulted in specific contact zones between Swedes and Chileans. The concept contact zone stems from the expanding field of Post-Colonial theory. With such a theoretical approach my project emphasizes solidarity as a social practice. This in turn gives a fuller picture of the utterly complex variables that refugees are forced to deal with in confronting and coping with Swedish society in general. Finally, my study presents a comprehensive understanding of how Swedish solidarity with “The Chilean Cause” can be interpreted within an international framework.