Author: Jönsson, Lars-Eric

Source: Home Cultures, Volume 2, Number 2, July 2005 , pp. 153-174(22)

Publisher: Berg Publishers

Abstract:

This article deals with how governmental and municipal welfare authorities in Sweden carried out personal case studies between 1940 and 1970. Home visits were used by the authorities to generate knowledge about the woman under investigation. The selected cases are taken from inquiries undertaken in connection with proposed sterilizations, abortions, and adoptions, and from child welfare officers' surveillance of children born out of wedlock.

A home visit both generated factual evidence about the woman and her living conditions and seemed to guarantee the authenticity of previously acquired knowledge.

The article underlines the close assocation of the flat/house and the woman. The home, and the people living in it, are viewed as manifestations of the character of the woman under investigation.

The concluding remarks consider how individuals in modern society become the object of the authorities' knowledge and power. The home beomes an arena of general interest and action, rather than a private sphere.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/174063105778053382

Publication date: 2005-07-01

More about this publication?

• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Families & Communities
• By this author: Jönsson, Lars-Eric

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers