‘We Are Not Interested in Knowledge for Its Own Sake. Knowledge Should Be Put into Motion…’ Young Adults, Social Mobilization and Learning in Poor, Multi-ethnic Suburbs in Sweden’s Metropolitan Districts

Abstract

Changes in metropolitan districts of Sweden during the last 30 years have created a situation that in many respects resembles those in big cities of continental Europe. Increasing social and economic disparities have generated a tense social climate that threatens social cohesion. The globally reported riots in the poor high-rise suburbs of Stockholm in 2013 were stark manifestations of the tensions. This chapter examines the social background of the tensions that fostered the riots and a new form of suburban mobilization that has emerged in parallel to police confrontations. It focuses on the prioritization of acquiring knowledge and learning in the political agenda developed by organizations that young adults have established recently in these suburban areas, particularly one called The Panthers for the Restoration of the Suburb. Two key questions are addressed. How should the knowledge-seeking and learning processes related to the informal and formal activities of the Panthers be understood? What can compulsory schools run by the municipality learn from the joyful and purposeful learning in the everyday praxis of an organization like the Panthers?