Concepts, metaphors, discourses and language are not only analytical and political tools but are also at the centre of political and social conflicts. At the Centre for Welfare State Research, we are interested in the key concepts and the language of the welfare state.
Research in this area involves detailed comparative studies of key concepts such as “welfare state” or “democracy”, studies of the language of social policy as well as specific discourses such as welfare state criticism. This research interest has opened ways for new theoretical perspectives bringing also the history of literature and literary theory into use and discussing the interplay between literature and the development of the welfare state. Obviously, more people have read popular novels than key policy documents. At present, our activities in this field can be grouped into three major topics:
First, several members of the Centre for Welfare State Research (CWSR) are engaged in the project Language and Concepts of the Welfare State (Financed by the Danish Research Council for the humanities 2009-2013). This cross-disciplinary project involves historians, political scientists and scholars studying the history of literature. The ambition is two-fold: First, the aim is to develop an empirically based knowledge about the way we talk and have talked about the welfare state on different arenas (political, public and literary) as well as how the welfare state talks. Secondly, the theoretical ambition is to connect conceptual history, narrative theory and political analysis in order to develop better research methods for studying the origins and developments of key concepts and social policy language.
Read more about the project Language and Concepts of the Welfare State.
Contact persons: Klaus Petersen
Second, the members of CWSR are involved in a research project on the comparative history of the term “welfare state” in Denmark, Britain, Germane and the US from the 1840s until 1960s. This ambition of this project is to rewrite the standard narratives of the origins of the terms “welfare state” and “Wohlfahrtsstaat” as well as to map out conceptual diffusion across national borders. On the basis of this work researchers at CWSR are involved in book projects on Social Policy Language in OECD countries and The Concept Welfare State in the Nordic Countries.
Contact persons: Klaus Petersen & Jørn Henrik Petersen
Third, a group of CWSR Researchers are investigating the relationship between the welfare state and modern literature. The core group belongs to the project “Welfare State Narratives” (financed by the Velux Foundation). Coming from literature studies this group analyses visions of welfare in specific literary work (for instance how elderly are portrayed), the role and thinking of authors both on the literary and public scene, as well as how the welfare state (for instance cultural policies) might have influenced modern literature.
Contact persons: Anne Marie Mai
Recent publications on Concepts and language of the welfare state