The purpose of this article is to investigate how and why the truck manufacturer Scania adapted to the economic downturn between 2008 and 2010 in the manner it did. First, Scania signed a crisis agreement on fewer working hours and lower wages, and, later, it signed an agreement stipulating fewer working hours, but without wage reductions. Both of these agreements were combined with investments in competence development and education as well as with the decision not to give notice to the employees, which was uncommon among Swedish companies. It is claimed that the company wanted to strengthen the competitiveness by integrating the unions and the employees even more in the business. An important prerequisite was the company’s Flexibility Agreement, which allowed the company not to give temporary employees new contracts and to let temporary employees leave the company as soon as their maximum employment period of six months expired.

The paper focuses on the interactions between innovations (of all kinds) and job quality (in a wide sense, covering work and employment conditions, including job status, compensation, training and career opportunities) in the aeronautic industry. It draws on empirical evidence – industry survey and company case studies – from France, Sweden and the UK. Aeronautics has introduced important innovations in the past decade. For example, computer assisted devices (from computer aided engineering and design, Model Based Definition (MBD), i.e. the use of 3D drawings, to computer numeric control machines) have impacted the work of both engineers, technicians and operators. The new generation of process innovations (i.e. digitalization) include, among others, the introduction of cobots and robots, and virtual augmented reality devices. Aeronautics is indeed a front runner of the “factory of the future” or “industry 4.0”, which may have important consequences in terms of both job quantity and quality – notably in terms of education requirements, competence development, and individual task discretion/autonomy. Organisational innovations have also played an important role, such as the implementation of lean manufacturing and its derivatives, introduced more recently than in the automotive industry, with some specificities. Increasing pressure on all the segments of the supply chain has been witnessed in many firms and their subcontractors, in connection with some of the technical devices mentioned previously, and in a context of increasing competition, and in some cases to important changes in the governance of firms. But the reverse causality – i.e. from JQ to innovation – is also a key issue. Some firms are innovating by introducing new forms of organisations to improve some dimensions of job quality as a mean to foster the innovation capacity of the firm “from the bottom up”, with experiments such as “liberated company”. As in other industries, some big companies are trying to emulate the “start-up spirit”.

The aim of this paper was to review the research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in connection with business closures and downsizing to identify gaps in our knowledge. The study consisted of a systematic review of 24 refereed articles. The review identified four themes in the literature on CSR in connection with business closure and downsizing, namely CSR, transition programs and the local community; CSR and business strategy; CSR, power and reputation; and lastly, other articles on CSR in connection with business closures and downsizing. The review revealed a lack of understanding of the reasons, outcomes and methodology of CSR development in connection with business closures and downsizing.

In this paper, it will be discussed if there is a “team dimension” connected to legitimacy/trust in manufacturing companies. The “improvement teams” in the truck producing company Scania, that also are the basic organisational unit in production, can be described as “open micro systems”, with external relations and links between the teams and the organisation as a whole (Sederblad, 2011b). Our interpretation is that the result of continuous improvement activities in the improvement teams is dependent on blue collar workers believe that they will, at least indirectly and in a long time perspective, benefit from involvement in developing the production system. We will introduce the concept “conditional trust” to analyse the relations in production (Sederblad, 2011a; see also page 5 in this paper). This concept will also be used to understand the negotiation system on the company level and we will especially focus on the role of the unions. In the final section of the paper we will analyse how the production system and negotiation system are linked to each other. We will discuss and analyse the following questions: 1. How is the “improvement teams” organised in the company Scania and how do they work with “continuous improvement”? 2. How is conditional trust established in production and in improvement activities (among supervisors, team-leaders and workers)? 3. How is conditional trust established in the negotiations in the company (management, unions and workers)? 4. How is trust in production linked to trust in the negotiation system, and how functions the system at the workplace as a whole?

Boken handlar om judisk bibeltolkning. Texter och textpraktiker är helt centrala för den rabbinska judendomen. Här undersöks grunderna för denna på en gång litterära, religiösa och hermeneutiska tradition samt den bakomliggande synen på uppenbarelsen. Frågan om den rabbinska kommentartraditionens legitimitet och auktoritet löper som en röd tråd genom boken. Hur förankrade det rabbinska etablissemanget sina utläggningar och tolkningar, som ibland bara verkar ha ett mycket vagt underlag i Bibeln och emellanåt markant skiljer sig från det kommenterade verket? Med vilken instans sökte man auktorisera sin tolkning? Och vad menade egentligen rabbinerna när de gjorde gällande att Torah är en evigt fruktbar företeelse, vars ord växer och förökar sig precis på samma sätt som en planta växer och förökar sig? I boken behandlas den rabbinska judendomens läsarpraktiker och läsarideologier, kampen om läroauktoritet och tolkningsföreträden, samt hur en religiös tradition (den rabbinska judendomen) och en social grupps (den rabbinska ”klassen”) samhälleliga hegemoni legitimeras genom just text, läsning, tolkning och undervisning. Men i en annan bemärkelse så behandlas vissa närmast allmängiltiga förhållningssätt till tillvaron, och några av de sätt på vilka människan genom förmedlingen av litteratur och religion skapat mening och format sina sociala och kulturella villkor. I sammanhanget ges också en introduktion till några av judendomens centrala verk, såsom Mishnah, Talmud, och Midrash.

The article examines cartoons and comics as a platform for religious criticism and satire, with particular focus on a work called The Jew Monster made by the controversial American-Jewish cartoonist and creator of comics, Eli Valley. Valley’s satirical works have a number of recurring themes, such as Israeli politics, Zionism and its legacy, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, anti-Semitism and Jewish identity and religion. Not least is Valley often using a kind of provocative humour to criticize political and religious leaders. In order to examine some aspects of Valley’s satire, the cartoon The Jew Monster will be analyzed. The first part of the analysis consists of a close reading of the cartoon carried out with regard to its context, viz. the heated debates regarding religious caricatures that have taken place during the last years. The principal aim of this analysis is to establish what kind of phenomena Valley ridicules with this satirical work. In the second part of the analysis the reception of The Jew Monster by its audience is examined. This analysis is conducted through an assessment of the comments on the cartoon on various websites (including Valley’s own), in journals and media statements.

History teaching in Sweden is, among other things, supposed to create democratic citizens appreciating certain values. These goals are described in the first chapter in the curriculum, “Fundamental values and tasks of the school”, as cross-curricular goals that every teacher should foster. At the same time the history teacher is supposed to develop the students´ historical consciousness by developing certain cognitive abilities that allow the students to interpret history on their own. These abilities are described in the history syllabus. The abilities do not, however, address any particular values to be developed. The history teachers´ assignments can therefore be in conflict. In the article I analyze the Swedish history teachers´ mission by comparing the goals for the citizenship education in the curriculum´s first chapter, with the theoretical construction of how to develop the students´ historical consciousness, found in the syllabus in history. At the end there is a discussion and a tentative suggestion how to process the tension between making democrats and at the same time develop the students´ cognitive abilities to understand and use history of their own.

This doctoral thesis describes the subject of history as being filled with suspense. On the one hand, that is, in the syllabus and the teaching plan, the subject of history seeks to create students who affirm a certain culture and a certain way of understanding the past. On the other hand, students are supposed to learn to think independently and critically. This tension has consequences for the way in which students use history in school, and the way in which history teachers interpret their assignment. Students have difficulties in distancing themselves from their own approach to culture, and to comprehend that history consists of interpretations and constructions. Instead, they perceive historical narratives as either true or false. This makes it difficult to deal with questions regarding the past that challenge their view on history and are difficult to handle ethically. The dissertation also shows that the students’ use of history is limited to that which is called the school’s value system, and a view of the past that results from this value system. In those cases in which historical narratives correspond with the students’ own views and opinions, often in harmony with those voiced by the school, they tend to believe in and affirm them. In those cases in which the narratives do not correspond with the students’ views, they do not believe in them and reject them. At the same time, teachers have difficulties with handling students’ use of history in those cases in which it differs from the value system’s premises, as well as from a version of history that can be regarded as established at the school in question. This became apparent in the teachers’ evaluations, in which they systematically gave student responses that were located outside of this framework poorer evaluations and tougher scrutiny. The findings of this thesis can be considered as important from a number of different perspectives. The instructions for teaching and learning history in school are inconsistent and therefore difficult to understand for both teachers and students. To be sure, this applies primarily to those who find themselves outside of the life-world defined within the framework of the school in question. Assessing the use of history in school, in particular in a formative way, may therefore become difficult for teachers. How are teachers, who dismiss certain uses of history based on ethical reasons that can be found in the value system, but not in the knowledge requirements, supposed to be able to argue for their dismissal based on the knowledge claims of the syllabus? Students whose work is dismissed based on invisible criteria can perceive themselves as misunderstood and unwelcome in discussions regarding history at school. They can also come to perceive that their historical narratives are not allowed to exist in this context. Therefore, this dissertation suggests the creation of evaluation criteria for the subject of history that take into account ethical aspects in regard to students’ use of history. With the syllabus as starting point, this can serve to provide a basis for more precise evaluations and more equal conversations between students and teachers. A fertile ground for a vibrant democracy, in which students are taught to take responsibility for their use of history.

Rapporten är en bred undersökning med nedslag i forskning och andra texter om historieskrivning och berättelser om Malmö samt i kulturarvsinstitutioners produktion. I texten ställs frågor om genusperspektiv och bilden av Malmö - staden vars historiska bild ofta karakteriseras som industrialisering, välfärdspolitik, samförståndsanda och socialdemokrati.

In relation to the much noticed honour killings in Sweden the government and the Swedish National Agency for Education have initiated research and also educational initiatives for headmasters and teachers in schools on the subject. We have in cooperation with the Swedish National Agency for Education developed syllabuses and organized short term courses around “Honour-related violence and oppression” and “Sexuality education, relations and values” for mainly headmasters, teachers, students, nurses and counselors working in schools. In light of these experiences we see a great need for developing a knowledge area in social studies subjects on honour-related problems for compulsory school as well as for higher education. Therefore we have initiated a research project with the aim of addressing this challenging question. Useful theoretical perspectives focus on gender, diversity, power, othering and culturalization, as well as inclusion, co-existence and citizenship. Research questions include the overall need for education in these issues in relation to various levels of educations and to various school subjects. Another question focuses on how to develop a research based content of knowledge grounded in an ethical awareness and sensitiveness regarding this controversial issue in social studies subjects. Apart from developing a knowledge area the project strives to highlight good experiences from schools that have experiences working with this issue. Preliminary results from questionnaires and interviews will be analyzed and discussed in this paper.

Relations, values and sex education: Changes and challenges in school curricula and the Swedish political context 2014. The government and the Swedish National Agency for Education have initiated research and also educational initiatives on gender equality, anti-discrimination laws, diversity in relation to sex education. In cooperation with the Swedish National Agency for Education we have developed syllabuses and organized short term courses at Malmö University, Sweden, around “Honor-related violence and oppression” and “Sexuality education, relations and values” for mainly headmasters, teachers, students, nurses and counselors working in schools . In light of these experiences we see a great need for developing a knowledge area in social studies on relations and sex education with norm critical perspectives and honour-related problems for compulsory school as well as for higher education. On basis of course evaluations we have found that the most valued content is education around norm critical perspectives and identities. This is most important in the Swedish diverse classrooms of today. We have initiated a research project with the aim of addressing relations, values and sex education in different schools subjects, such as social studies. Useful theoretical perspectives focus on body, gender, diversity, power, equality, othering and culturalization, as well as inclusion, exclusion, co-existence, democray and marginalization. One important outcome, as we see it, is to develop a research based knowledge area grounded in an ethical awareness and sensitiveness in social studies. In addition to developing this knowledge area, the project strives to highlight good experiences/best practices from teachers and schools that have worked with these issues. Preliminary results from evaluation sheets and questionnaires will be analyzed and discussed in this paper.

Föreliggande utvärderingsrapport utgör en uppföljning av samverkansprojektet: ”Ingen faller mellan stolarna”. Projektet har drivits av Malmö stad sedan år 2010 med stöd av Socialstyrelsen och har varit stadsdelsövergripande. Målet med projektet har varit att uppnå samarbetsformer mellan Individ- och Familjeomsrog (IoF) samt Vård- och Omsorg (VoF) som gör att personer som är, eller riskerar att bli, hemlösa och vars problematik berör båda verksamheterna ska kunna ta del av förbättrade och samordnade insatser.

The article presents lesson plans for secondary education on 20th century Swedish history and the immigrant experience.

Cirka 15 000 elever anländer varje år från hela världen till den svenska skolan. Universitetslektor Cecilia Axelsson Yngvéus, projektledare på Malmö högskola för att utveckla ett nationellt kartläggningsmaterial av nyanlända elevers historiska kunskaper, diskuterar om och hur olika kulturell och social bakgrund formar ungdomars olika uppfattningar om tid och historia. Axelsson Yngvéus diskussion utmynnar i tentativa slutsatser om hur frågor om tid kan ställas till elever och hur historieundervisning för elever med olika kulturell bakgrund skulle kunna se ut.

Hur engagerar föräldrar sig i deras barns utbildning utanför den ordinarie skolan? Rapporten presenterar en skolform vilken delvis är dold för forskare, lärare, politiker och beslutsfattare. Det är de ”komplementära undervisningsformerna” i form av läxhjälp i olika skolämnen, modersmålsundervisning, kultur och religionsundervisning som i högsta grad är organiserade av ideella ledare efter den ordinarie skolans slut eller på helgerna. Rapporten är skriven inom ramen för forskningsprojektet: Ett utbildningspolitiskt dilemma: Mångkulturell inkorporering och skolframgång. Projektet finansieras av Vetenskapsrådets Utbildningsvetenskapliga kommitté. En del av studien presenteras i den här rapporten. Jag kommer att ge svar på frågor i syfte att introducera komplementära skolor för att förstå föräldrarnas dolda kamp i det mångkulturella. Syftet med studien är att på djupet undersöka de komplementära undervisningsformerna som föräldrar anordnar i Malmö. Rapporten innehåller svar på följande frågor: • Vad är en komplementär skola? Vilka typer av komplementära skolor finns i Malmö? Varför upprättas komplementära skolor och vilka är aktörerna? • Hur organiseras undervisningen och vilken typ av läromedel används? • Vilken roll spelar dessa komplementära skolor i kvalificering, socialisering och subjektfiering av barn och ungdomar i den mångkulturella skolan och samhället? • Ägnar aktörerna i den komplementära skolan särskild uppmärksamhet åt barns och ungas kulturella behov mer än vad en statlig/kommunal skola gör? Jag har i rapporten utgått ifrån och byggt vidare på insikter från tidigare internationella samt nationella studier. Det empirska materialet består av både kvantitativa och kvalitativa data. Det kvantitativa underlaget används i huvudsak för att presentera de undersökta komplementära skolors omfattning och undervisningsinnehåll och efterfrågan i Malmö. Vidare presenteras tre fallskolor. I studien framkommer att det finns tre olika typer av komplementära skolor i Malmö. Dels de som sysslar med läxhjälp och undervisning i olika skolämnen, dels de som ger barn och ungdomar möjligheter att utforska kultur och kulturarv och de som har ett religiöst innehåll. Föräldrarnas/lärarnas syn på inkorporering kan sammanfattas i tre punkter. De anser att barn och ungdomar ska: • utrustas med kunskap och färdigheter om deras religion, språk (modersmålet) och kultur, • behärska det svenska språket minst lika bra som infödda svenska barn samt, • skaffa sig en utbildning och ett jobb som tillsammans bidrar till att varje barn utövar sina medborgerliga rättigheter som vilken svensk infödd som helst. Rapporten avslutas med rekommendationer till kommissionen om att bättre synliggöra och erkänna föräldrarnas engagemang i komplementära skolor. Och skapa möjligheter för att utveckla gemensamma värderingar för ett medborgarskap grundat på dialog, ömsesidig respekt, acceptans och erkännande av mångfald.

The aim of the paper is to raise questions about loyalty, whistleblowing and transparency in public organisations. In the first part we present the picture of a new form of loyalty in working life. A so called rational loyalty is replacing the traditional autocratic loyalty due to development in society and the legal framework, as presented by Wim Vandekerckhove (2006: 124-134). This development is supporting acts of whistleblowing. However, in the paper we argue that the picture is much more complex and whistleblowing is often hindered in practise in spite of developments in organisational policies and law. Therefore, we would also like to discuss if increased organisational transparency can promote more ethical behaviour and whistleblowing in public organisations. In the second part of the paper we discuss the prerequisites for rational loyalty in the Swedish public sector. We present different kinds of loyalty forms, which can be seen as counterforces to rational loyalty, whistleblowing and transparency at workplaces in the public sector.

En intervjustudie av Bodil Cronquist, handlar om montessoriverksamheten och det som kallas den ”förberedda miljön” i montessoripedagogiken.

Frågan om att äga sin egen tid är av existentiell karaktär. Det har sin grund i jordelivets förgänglighet. Livet tar slut, och slutet är indi-viduellt. När jag dör är det bara mitt liv som upphör. Jag går ensam i döden. Hur jag förvaltar min levnadstid, och i vilken mån som andra har rätt att göra anspråk på denna tid, ter sig ur mitt enskilda perspektiv vara av monumental betydelse, och så är det rimligtvis också för varje annan människa. Arbetstiden har sedan industrialismens framväxt utgjort den dominerande tiden för lönearbetaren. Det är en tid som löne arbetaren inte själv äger, och det är därigenom också en tid som påverkar den enskildes möjligheter att råda över sitt eget liv. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att belysa arbetarrörelsens kamp för och arbetsgivarintressenas strid mot en förkortad och reglerad arbetstid på en arbetsmarknad som i stort sett saknade regleringar. Undersökningen är idéhistorisk till sin karaktär. Den granskar arbetarrörelsens respektive arbetsgivarintressenas argumentation kring och ideologiska förhållningssätt till normal-/maximalarbetsdagen under perioden 1880-1925. I slutändan kom kampen att handla om införandet av åttatimmarsdagen, där slagordet ”åtta timmars arbete, åtta timmars fritid, åtta timmars vila” i sitt historiska sammanhang utgjorde ett radialt och progressivt krav. Idag har åtta timmars arbete blivit den tillsynes oantastliga normen. Men det ter sig relevant att, som kammarrättsrådet Johan Österberg gjorde i riks-dagen 1919, ställa frågan ”var ligger rättvisan i att just bestämma en 8 timmars arbetsdag? Varför skall rättvisan ligga just i de 8 timmarna, och varför kan man icke bestämma vilken annan tid som helst?” Hans Dahlqvist är filosofie doktor i historia och har tidigare bland annat publicerat avhandlingen Fri att konkurrera och skyldig att producera. En ideologikritisk granskning av SAF 1902-1948 (2003) samt essäerna ”Finns det liv efter lönearbetet? En idéhistorisk framställning om synen på arbetets värde” (2010) samt ”Folkhemsbegreppet: Rudolf Kjellén vs Per Albin Hansson” (2002).

"Retrospective modernists. On the significance of history for contemporary mods" This thesis studies the use and significance of history among contemporary mods in Sweden, that is, how the actors on the mod scene articulate and perform a sense of community with a specific past. Mod culture is first and foremost associated with the 1960s and the contemporary mods regard the 60s as the template and essence of their style. The actors thus become mods by enacting associations that stretch out over time, towards an imagined community that is based on the histories of mod cultures and mod styles of the past. Hereby I argue that the contemporary mod scene is an example of a retrospective trend through which the general interest in history as well as the use of history have increased. The thesis is based on a performative theory, inspired by Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network-Theory. History is thus regarded as makings-of-pasts-in-the-present. A qualitative ethnographical approach, based on interviews and observations, is used as the main method. Newspapers, magazines and fanzines from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s are also studied. The four empirical chapters adress, in order, a differentiation between a Swedish and a British history of mod culture; the use of objects, such as vinyl records and tailor made suits, as a subcultural capital; how historically charged atmospheres at clubs and scooter rallies are evoked by networks of objects and human actors; and how maps of time and continuities are articulated as a way of dealing with and controlling temporal distances. Primarily, the thesis raise three themes in regards to the retrospective trend of the present. First, it illustrate how individuals and groups, by using and performing history, create meaningful boundaries for themselves. Retrospection thus functions as a way of gaining an existential presence and stability in an elusive present. Second, the use and performance of history seemingly narrows the distance towards the past. A central point in the thesis is, however, that the contemporary mods not only try to get closer to the desirable past, they also try to regain a distance and remoteness towards this past, in order to not reduce and deprive this past of its mystery and attraction. Thirdly, this regaining of the past’s remoteness is also a way of articulating this specific past as valuable. History is thus performed and used as a capital. I illustrate how this use of the past is performed in a selective way, through an ’us and them’ relationship, in which ”our own” history is elevated as holding the key to higher values and truths, while ”their” history is articulated as negative and problematic. The thesis thus contributes with new perspectives and knowledge on the significance and use of history in the present. It also contributes analytically and methodologically to subcultural studies, studies on history culture and to historical studies in general.

This is the first major quantitative study of how teachers at the compulsory school look at the subject of History and its conditions. The article focuses on elements of the survey related to the content of teaching and how teachers perceive the conditions for the intercultural mission of the subject. The historical content in the form of selected time periods and geographic focus forms a clear canon: in grades 1–3 local history and Swedish history, in 4–6 Swedish and Nordic history, and in 7–9 Western European history with global, but mainly Eurocentric, outlooks. In terms of students’ skills to interpret history they encounter the result is to some extent contradictory. Empathy and critical thinking are highly valued but the actual work to develop these abilities is of lesser importance. Instead, storytelling is stressed as the major form of education. Teachers in grades 7–9 emphasize that long lines of development are important in their teaching. History’s orienting function leans more to the future and contemporary perspectives in grades 7–9, while students’ perspective on their own historical background ranked highest in 1–3 and 4–6. Future and contemporary issues are highlighted as a pattern in which racism and xenophobia become more important in higher grades while environmental issues decrease in importance. Multiculturalism and diversity issues occupy an intermediate position in this context but are perceived as important by teachers on all levels. An overall conclusion is that in the tension that exists between the traditions of the subject and an external pressure for change teachers need support to deal with the intercultural perspective.

This article reviews the following work(s): Joonas Ahola, Frog & Clive Tolley (eds.), Fibula, Fabula, Fact: The Viking Age in Finland (Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society 2014). 519 pp. Pierre Bauduin & Alexander E. Musin (eds.), Vers l’Orient et vers l’Occident: Regards croisés sur les dynamiques et les transferts culturels des Vikings à la Rous ancienne / Eastwards and Westwards: Multiple Perspectives on the Dynamics and Cultural Transfers from the Vikings to the Early Rus’ (Caen: Presses universitaires de Caen 2014). 500 pp. Nancy Coleman & Nanna Løkka (eds.), Kvinner i vikingtid / Vikingatidens kvinnor (Oslo: Scandinavian Academic Press 2014). 381 pp. Ildar Garipzanov with Rosalind Bronté (eds.), Conversion and Identity in the Viking Age (Turnhout: Brepols 2014). 256 pp. Henriette Lyngstrøm & Lasse C.A. Sonne (eds.), Vikingetidens aristokratiske miljøer: Tekster fra et seminar i seed-money netværket Vikingetid i Danmark, Saxo-Instituttet, Københavns Universitet den 29. november 2013 (Copenhagen: Saxo-Instituttet 2014). 120 pp. Shane McLeod, The Beginning of Scandinavian Settlement in England: The Viking ”Great Army” and Early Settlers, c. 865–900 (Turnhout: Brepols 2014). 325 pp. Anders Winroth, The Age of the Vikings (Princeton: Princeton University Press 2014). 304 pp.