Degeneration, Protestantism, and Social Democracy: The Case of Alcoholism and “Illiberal” Policies and Practices in Denmark 1900–43

Sevelsted, Anders

doi:10.1017/ssh.2018.35

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

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“…This sub-elite combined their civil society strategy with scientific ideas in order to reclassify groups that had been deemed morally flawed and left to the public system: These groups did not lack moral character but were victims of inherited degenerative traits triggered by a normless urban environment and a de-Christianized society. Alcoholics constitute the prime example of a group that this moral elite targeted through the abstinence associations and treatment facilities—based on religious and scientific ideals (Sevelsted, 2019 ).…”

Section: Three Historical Classificationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral Elites and the De-Paradoxification of Danish Social Policy Between Civil Society and State (1849–2022)

Sevelsted

2022

Voluntas

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The article argues that in Denmark during the past 150 years, moral elites have been central in settling paradoxes within social policy by developing ‘classifications’ of citizens and sectors: who are deserving of help and what sector (public or third) should provide care. Contrary to widely held beliefs, historically, there is no logical or practical connection between ‘more deserving’ and ‘state support’. Theoretically, the article integrates elite scholarship and cultural sociology in developing a concept of moral elites’ power from—their sources of moral authority—and power to, the way that they have used their power to classify citizens and sectors. Empirically, the Danish moral elite and its involvement in social policy are analyzed based on secondary as well as primary historical sources. Findings: The development of the Danish moral elite has roots in the administrators of the nineteenth-century absolutist state: the clergy, medical doctors, and lawyers. Educational resources and state affiliation continue to be central to moral elite status. Economists have ascended to the top of the moral elite, while clergymen have dropped out. Three major classifications were developed during the period. ‘Help to self-help’ (late nineteenth century): deserving poor should receive help from private charity, while the public system should deter and discipline. ‘Rights’ (mid-twentieth century): the state should care for all, philanthropy mostly considered stigmatizing. ‘Workfare’ (late twentieth century to present): citizens are considered deserving as long as they are ‘active’, and sectors are considered equal in providing for citizens as long as they reach the economistic goal of activation.

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Section: Three Historical Classificationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral Elites and the De-Paradoxification of Danish Social Policy Between Civil Society and State (1849–2022)

Sevelsted

2022

Voluntas

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Moral Elites in the Danish Temperance Movement (1910–1919): Elite Struggles over Disease and Values

Sevelsted

2022

Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies

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The chapter maps out the elite of the early Danish temperance movement and shows how distinct moral elites within the movement interpreted the cause according to their respective value frames while integrating the emerging disease frame of alcoholism. Theoretically, it argues for introducing the thus far estranged perspectives of elite studies and framing approaches to each other. The concept of moral elite is consequently introduced and defined as an elite that is rich in the resources on which moral authority is built, here limited to educational resources, organizational resources, and publications. The chapter applies a mixed methods design. First, social network analysis (SNA) is applied to a unique dataset comprising biographical information on 28 temperance leaders found in the Danish Who’s Who. The analysis reveals three distinct clusters within the temperance elite. Analyzing texts by the most prolific authors shows that each of the three clusters has a distinct profile: an elite dominated by medical doctors and theologians who articulate a traditional value frame according to which medical doctors and pastors carry a responsibility for the community – a responsibility that is expanded through philanthropy and specialized institutions; a revivalist elite of theologians and laymen who pursue a revivalist Holiness and civil society frame emphasizing faith’s healing abilities and the importance of organizing beyond the national church; and an organic elite that represented small farmers and workers and pushed an Enlightenment frame of direct democracy, rule of law, and education. The second part of the analysis shows how each elite cluster integrated the “alcoholism as a disease” belief frame in their value frames: traditional elites as a cause for institutionalization, revivalist elites as a reason to bolster the resilience in the population through faith, and the organic elite as a reason to promote self-care and education. In the final sections of the chapter, I tease out how the moral elite perspective may have implications for social movement research, especially in terms of holding movement elites accountable.

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The Danish Civil Society Elite 1910–2020: Continuity, Reproduction and Integration

Sevelsted,

Lunding

2023

Palgrave Studies in Third Sector Research

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This chapter analyses the case of the historical development of the Danish civil society elite from 1910 to 2020. Existing approaches focus on elites in civil society, while this study focuses on elites of civil society, that is, leaders of central civil society organisations in Denmark. Using social network analysis, the analysis builds on a dataset from the Danish Who’s Who from 1910, 1965, and 2020. The study shows the causes that this elite has engaged in, the composition and reproduction of the elite, and the integration of this elite with other sector elites. Findings indicate a democratising, but distinguished elite concentrated in the capital and born by elite parents. They have continuous high engagement in health and humanitarian aid, but a declining engagement in housing and crime prevention. This elite is well integrated with the state, less so with politics, and increasingly with the educational-scientific sector, pointing to ‘diploma governance’.

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Degeneration, Protestantism, and Social Democracy: The Case of Alcoholism and “Illiberal” Policies and Practices in Denmark 1900–43

Cited by 6 publications

References 43 publications

Moral Elites and the De-Paradoxification of Danish Social Policy Between Civil Society and State (1849–2022)

Moral Elites and the De-Paradoxification of Danish Social Policy Between Civil Society and State (1849–2022)

Moral Elites in the Danish Temperance Movement (1910–1919): Elite Struggles over Disease and Values

The Danish Civil Society Elite 1910–2020: Continuity, Reproduction and Integration

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