Men Sverige, ack Sverige! Internationella förebilder och nationell självbild i tidskriften Rösträtt för kvinnor 1912–1919

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how the Swedish women’s suffrage movement was framed and understood through international examples in Rösträtt för kvinnor, the member magazine of Landsföreningen för kvinnans politiska rösträtt (LKPR). Particular attention is paid to how the movement was constructed within a broader international context and how international developments were used to legitimise and explain the struggle for women’s suffrage in Sweden. The study is grounded in a social constructivist perspective in which language is understood as constructive of meaning and based on thematic text analysis of Rösträtt för kvinnor between 1912 and 1919.The thesis demonstrates how ideas of international sisterhood functioned as emotional and ideological support which supported and shaped the Swedish suffrage movement. Through reports on foreign activism, women’s organisations and political developments, the magazine communicated ideals regarding how the “suffrage woman” should think, behave and participate in public life. The thesis shows that women’s suffrage was also linked to ideas of modernity, civilisation and democratic progress. Rösträtt för kvinnor constructed both role models and counter-images that helped define the movement’s values and political identity. The magazine thereby contributed to creating a sense of belonging not only to the Swedish suffrage movement but also to a wider international community. This thesis argues that the Swedish women’s suffrage movement cannot be understood as an isolated national phenomenon. Rather, it developed in continuous dialogue with international ideas, political movements, and ideals surrounding women’s political citizenship. The findings highlight the importance of situating the Swedish suffrage movement within a broader transnational context in which ideas and political visions circulated across national borders.