Urban Struggles in Sweden

"Two urban scholars with longtime engagement in the field joined forces to combine their expertise in urban movements, civil society and resistance studies to develop and demonstrate a research agenda uniquely amenable to the struggle for more just cities. Bringing to bear the respective strengths of these perspectives, they demonstrate the full breadth of what is done in collective action, from the crucial backstage activities to the spectacular and public features--thus persuasively arguing an exciting innovative approach, but also the first comprehensive history of urban movements in Sweden. " --Margit Mayer, professor, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany This Open Access book explores the development of contemporary urban struggles in Sweden, offering a comprehensive and critical perspective on collective action in cities. It examines the practices of collective urban actors, highlighting both visible and hidden forms of organizing, including actions and interactions that occur in spaces inaccessible to outsiders. The chapters move from an introduction to the theoretical and methodological approach to urban struggles, through an overview of Sweden's post-war urban mobilizations and movements, to detailed analyses of grassroots initiatives--particularly the tenants' movement and the Orten Movement. The book reveals the relational dynamics that underpin urban struggles and introduces new theoretical and methodological perspectives on urban movements. Designed for scholars and students in sociology, political science, cultural geography, urban studies, and related fields, this book combines critical theory with longitudinal ethnographic methods to capture the complexity of contemporary urban struggles. Lisa Kings is an Associate Professor of social work at Södertörn University, Sweden. Her research focuses on the intersection of civil society, urban marginality, and critical urban studies. She has published several books in critical urban studies, social movements, and civil society, including three edited volumes and a sole-authored monograph. Dominika V. Polanska is a Professor of social work at Södertörn University, Sweden. Her research examines urban social movements and housing activism in Eastern Europe and Sweden, with a focus on activism, squatting, tenant mobilization, and informal organization. She has published extensively on civic engagement and urban struggles.