Changing emotional economies: The case of Sweden 1970–2010

Abstract

This paper discusses processes of emotionalisation and commodification at home and work, a theme that has been a focus of Arlie Hochschild's research in the USA over the last four decades. What happens when you look at similar processes within another national frame? The American experience is contrasted to that of two periods of rapid cultural and economic change in Swedish society during the early 1970s and late 1990s. Some similarities and differences in the emotional economies of these two periods are explored. My perspective is ethnological, with a focus on changes in the emotional landscape of everyday life. The main argument is that a historical perspective can capture some of the contradictory and many stranded aspects of both commodification and de-commodification processes.

Keywords:

• emotional economy
• informalisation
• commodification
• historical comparison