“Give Us Back Sweden!” A Feminist Reading of the (Re)Interpretations of the Folkhem Conceptual Metaphor in Swedish Radical Right Populist Discourse

Abstract

The present analysis investigates the discursive redefinitions of the folkhem conceptual metaphor, which accommodates centrally located heteronormative masculinities at the intersection of gender, class, and race. It focuses on recent reinterpretations of this conceptual metaphor as heralded by the main Swedish radical right populist party, the Sweden Democrats (SD), and its leader, Jimmie Åkesson. To do so, the main tenets of conceptual metaphor theory are discussed, and criticisms of the present methodologies are presented, leading to the suggestion of a new, genealogical approach. The research material is then analysed with the help of the proposed method, evidencing Åkesson's use of the national family metaphor over time. An overview of the findings is then provided, and a feminist perspective on the study of radical right populist discourses, with the aid of conceptual metaphor theory, is articulated.

Acknowledgements

I thank the editors and reviewers at NORA, but also Cecilia Åse and Anders Hellström for providing the necessary balance of support and critique. Research support from The Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation (Ella ja Georg Ehrnroothin säätiö/Ella och Georg Ehrnrooth stiftelse) is gratefully acknowledged. Translations from Swedish are the author's if not stated otherwise.