Ulrika Holgersson, Lund University

The purpose of the project

The purpose of this study was, using Swedish feature films in the "maid" genre from app. 1930-1950, to examine the boundaries of the "making" of class and gender, and how these practices can be related to today's and yesterday's understanding of class society and the rise of the Swedish Welfare State. The point of departure was 16 films with maid servants in supporting roles: Vi som går köksvägen (Servants' Entrance, 1932), Bröderna Östermans huskors (The Shew of the Österman Brothers, 1932 and 1946), Hemslavinnor (Homeslaves, 1933), Fröken blir piga (Miss Becomes Maid, 1936), Sara lär sig folkvett (Sara Learns Manners, 1937), Milly, Maria och jag (Milly, Maria and I, 1938), Herr husassistenten (Mr Male Servant, 1939), Frun tillhanda (Mrs Provided, 1939), Hanna i societén (Hanna in Society, 1940), Vi hemslavinnor (We Homeslaves, 1942), Brita i grosshandlarhuset (Brita in the Merchant's House, 1946), Kristin kommenderar (Kristin Commands, 1946), Stiliga Augusta (Handsome Augusta, 1946), Iris och löjtnantshjärta (Iris and Bleeding Heart, 1947) och Jungfrun på jungfrusund (The Maid at the Sound of Maids, 1949).

Subsequently an additional goal became to develop a model for historical feature film analysis, containing multiple entrances, thereby serving as a point of departure of studies of films differently situated in time and space. An underpinning notion was that feature films include different societal ideals by means of their play of different characters in shape of types or stereotypes. Apart from the focus on the style and form of the films, the model also concerns the surrounding film culture, conveyed in the characterization of film stars in media and the comments and reviews of film critics - and, of course, the relationship between film and film culture. Concretely, the analysis was divided into three parts: Firstly, an examination of the films of the 1930s; secondly, an investigation of the films of the 1940s; thirdly, a longitudinal studie of a body of films/characters returning during both decades. In all three sections each film alone was closely analysed and each analysis preceded by a short biographical examination of the leading star of the film and the way she (or in one case he) appeared in film culture (i.e. film magazines). These stars were, in order of appearance: Tutta Rolf, Marianne Löfgren, Karin Swensson, Margurite Viby, Elof Ahrle, Britta Brunius, Rut Holm, Eva Dahlbäck, Ingrid Backlin, Mai Zetterling, Sickan Carlsson, Frida Sporrong, Emy Hagman och Dagmar Ebbesen.

The three main results of the project

A first and fundamental result of the project is, in contrast to existing research of female representations in the Swedish feature films of the 1930s, that the main characters were types rather than stereotypes. That implies that they contain some easily recognizable traits connected to societal ideals. These traits appear as representative of the people that belonged to the community. In contrast, the stereotyped characters are distinguished by over-simplified features, representing the ones that didn't belong. Through the course of the narrative, types are played out in opposition to stereotypes, in order to set a hegemonic negotiation of societal ideas. The traits of the characters are expressed by way of visual as well as linguistic performance. That is to say that the overall meaning of the film is mediated not solely in speech but also in bodily acting, i.e. bodily movements, facial expressions, mise-en-scène and cinematography.

The two more most important results of the project concern the content of these negotiations, just mentioned above. Initially, in over all it can be said that the maid servant characters performed an oppositional voice, approaching the contemporary film critics as well as the politicians and the debaters of the time. Despite the servant issue being intensively discussed in the Swedish parliament, servants' rights were only marginally improved. Not even the Social Democratic Women's Association supported them fully. Film critics at the time dismissed the maid servant characters as superficial and silly. This notwithstanding - one might even say paradoxically - the representation of the maid as articulated in the films, was one of both self-confidence and responsibility; in short, a competent agent of the profession. Sometimes this was more explicitly verbalized as a protest against being treated as "just a maid". This can in turn be understood in the light of the maid often executing the narrative function of negotiating between other characters. Thusly, she or he helped to build new alliances in relation to new societal ideals and principles. It is also in this connection that the third fundamental result of the project can be outlined: that the hegemonic ideals of the films are developing from liberating affirmation of youth, female self-government and sexuality, to a more serious embrace of a traditional and chaste femininity, thereby to a greater extent emphasizing a consensus across the boarders of class and gender. As a watershed here occurs the Second World War. These ideals are particularly embodied by certain stars, in the films as in film culture as a whole, the star popularity changing with the viability of the ideals, from Tutta Rolf at the beginning of the 1930s to Sickan Carlsson and Dagmar Ebbesen at the end of the 1940s.

New research questions

Departing from each result new questions can be posed:
1) Considering feature film as a historical source, and in the light of the dominating inclination in existing research to dismiss the genre as superficial, stereotyped and unworldly, a clear need to do further research of other representations in other areas appears: what other ideals and positions does one find here, except the ones connected to maid servants?
2) Concerning the role of the maid servants and the home service work in the history of 20th century Sweden, in the light of the central place that the maid servants did possess in popular culture: in what way did they form their struggles in other arenas? What were the implications of the fact that the Swedish labour movement denied servants the right to be included in its struggle for the Swedish Welfare State? Which are the roots of the discourses that govern current debates about tax reduction of home service work (known as RUT and ROT)?
3) Regarding the societal contract of class and gender of the 1930s and 40s, in the light of the fact that the feminine ideal of the 30s for a short while gave more room for emaciation and independence: how can one explain the renegotiations of gender in the time before the outbreak of the Second World War? What impact in general did the war have on the design of the Swedish Welfare State?

The two most important publications of the project

The most important results of the project are presented in two publications, the first being a monograph: Inte bara en piga. Hembiträdet, spelfilmen och folkhemmet under svenskt 1930- och 40-tal (forthcoming autumn 2012). It includes the complete empirical study. The second publication is an article, "Historisk spelfilmsanalys", which will be published in a historical journal or anthology. Here, the methodological model of the project is developed, serving as a tool or point of departure for further research in the field of historical feature film analysis.
With the purpose of spreading the results outside Sweden, a short chapter of the book has been published in English (see url below): "Regional Conflicts: from the Merchant's House to the People's Home" (2010). Yet another article, summarizing the results of the project, is planned for a forthcoming anthology of Scandinavian Labour History (Berghahn 2014).

Further dissemination of project results

The project was developed in dialogue with the research community, both national and international. It was introduced first time at the NECS (European Network for Cinema and Media Studies) conference in Budapest, Hungary, the 19-22 of June 2008. It was also presented at the National Swedish History Conference in Gothenburg the 5-7 of May 2011, at the Scandinavian Labour History Conference in Landskrona the 26-27 of May 2011 and at the 10th Scandinavian Gender History Conference in Bergen, Norway, the 9-12 of Aug. 2012. Furthermore, I have given lectures at the Media History Seminar of Lund University (May 2010), The Gender History Day at Lund University (Oct. 2010), at the National Research School of Cultural History at Stockholm University (Nov. 2010), at the Historical Association, Lund University (Nov. 2010) and at the Maid Servant Week at the Labour History Archive and Library in Stockholm (Nov. 2011). On several of these occasions the lecture was performed in connection with presentations of other Scandinavian researchers of close areas, that I have been working with: prof. Erik Hedling, Film studies, Lund University; associate prof. Mats Jönsson, Film studies, Lund University; prof. Ann-Kristin Wallengren, Film studies, Lund University; Ph.D. Elisabeth Björklund, Film studies, Lund University, associate prof. Anders Åberg, Film studies, Linnaeus University, Växjö; Ph.D-student Raija Talvio, Dept of Motion Picture, TV and Production Design, Aalto University, Helsinki; Ph.D. Kukku Melkas, School of Art, Literature and Music, Turku University; Ph.D-student Karin Carlsson, Dept of History, Stockholm University; Tinne Vammen, frelancer and prof. emerita Sølvi Sogner, Dept of Archaeology, Conservation and History, Oslo University.
The project is also presented at my website and in the national scientific radio programme "Vetenskapsradion Forum" the 26 of September 2011 (see the urs below).

Urls

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=406&grupp=12905 ?&artikel=4707142
http://www.ht.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=23922&p=103
http://www.kb.se/dokument/Aktuellt/audiovisuellt/Regional%20Aesthetics/RegionalAesthetics.pdf