Gothenburg’s 1968: Stories from a Working-class City in Movement
This research project within oral history explores the 68 movement in Gothenburg through the gathering of interview materials from contemporary activists, coming from a range of political parties and organisations.
This project within oral history deals with the 68 movement in Gothenburg, meaning the activism of the political left in the 1960s and 70s. The aim is to carry out an extensive, systematic gathering of interview materials from contemporary activists, coming from a range of political parties and organisations. The effort will generate a unique source material, and in doing so, make way for groundbreaking research concerning the driving forces behind – and the conditions surrounding – the massive, collective mobilisation that took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There is a particular focus on highlighting the contributions and perspectives of individuals and groups who are currently underrepresented in existing archive collections, meaning grassroots in general, and women in particular.
The project Göteborgs 1968: Stories from a Working-class City in Movement is different from previous research, in its focus both on oral sources and on the Gothenburg activism. Today, the 68 movement of the city is still virtually unresearched. Meanwhile, more recent literature with ties to the 400th anniversary of the city has sought to highlight the thorough changes the city underwent in the 1960s and 70s, as well as Gothenburg’s leading role within the Swedish political left. The connections between the women’s movement and the left in these years holds a particular interest. Oral history makes it possible to shift our focus to the local grassroots of what was still a genuine workers’ town, and relate their hopes and ambitions to a global left-wing movement.
As part of the project, the archive of Svenska Kvinnors Vänsterförbund is now being organised and registered; an archive that serves as a vital component in understanding the long-term activism of the left throughout the 20th century, as well as the women’s role in upholding left-wing activism during the Cold War.
The project is now in year two, and we have begun interviewing 68ers. Were you a part of the 68 movement, and would you be interested in participating in the project? If so, please contact us.
Martin Linde (martin.linde@history.gu.se)
Rachel Pierce (rachel.pierce@ub.gu.se)
Martin Öhman (martin.ohman@gu.se)
- Project period: 2024-
- Organisation: Department of Historical Studies at GU and KvinnSam
- Funding: The Anna Ahrenberg Fund and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond research initiation
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